Backa Topola, Serbia - April 25, 2024 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Aerial shot of venue for inauguration ceremony of Novi Sad-Subotica section
2. Bilingual sign for high-speed railway track opening ceremony
3.  Various of people waiting for opening ceremony holding Chinese and Serbian national flags
4.  Officials arriving
5. Various of officials watching video, video playing
6. Various of opening ceremony in progress, audience, speakers at ceremony  
7.  SOUNDBITE (Serbian) Milos Vucevic, Serbian deputy prime minister, minister of defense, Serbia:
"One of the best and most accurate answers to the question of what is the “steel friendship” between China and Serbia or what is the strategic partnership between the two countries is the Belgrade-Budapest railway.”
8.  Various of workers laying last piece of railway track to connect the Novi Sad-Subotica section, ceremonial train
9.  People waiting for ceremonial train, the first to use the completed track
10.  Various of train moving, train driver and crew, station platform seen from train

The Belgrade-Budapest railway project reached a significant new milestone on Thursday as the tracks on the Novi Sad-Subotica section, built by Chinese contractors, were successfully connected in the Serbian city of Backa Topola.

Connecting the capital cities of Hungary and Serbia, the 350-kilometer high-speed Budapest-Belgrade rail line is a landmark Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project between China and some of its European BRI partners.

In March, the Chinese-built Belgrade-Novi Sad section of the high-speed railway marked its 2nd anniversary, having transported over 7 million people between Serbia's two largest cities since it started operations in 2022.

Milos Vucevic, Serbian deputy prime minister and minister of defense, highlighted the significance of China-Serbia collaboration in completing the railway tracks, saying the project will strengthen the friendship between the two nations.

"One of the best and most accurate answers to the question of what is the “steel friendship” between China and Serbia or what is the strategic partnership between the two countries is the Belgrade-Budapest railway," Vucevic said.

Once fully operational, the high-speed railway will be equipped with modern signaling and safety systems, significantly reducing travel time between the two cities.