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SUBOTICA, Serbia, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday inaugurated the Novi Sad-Subotica section of the Hungary-Serbia high-speed railway, marking the opening of Serbia's section of the landmark regional project.

A train departed Belgrade in the morning and arrived in Subotica in about one hour, where a grand opening ceremony was held.

Vucic hailed the railway as a generational achievement that "will forever be written into the history books."

"From Subotica, you will now reach Belgrade in one hour and 10 minutes, and by next year, from here to Budapest in just one hour and 35 minutes. This is something our ancestors could not have imagined, and it is something our generation will leave behind as a lasting legacy," he said.

The president underlined the project's realization through close cooperation among Serbia, Hungary and China and praised China's role as a partner in Serbia's modernization drive.

The Serbian section was built by China Railway International and China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), with a designed speed of 200 km per hour. Officials said the new line will shorten travel times, boost tourism, attract foreign investment and create an economic corridor through northern Serbia.

According to the constructors, the project has already created over 1,000 jobs in Serbia, upgraded the country's signaling system to the European Train Control System (ETCS Level 2), and included extensive environmental protection measures.

Chinese Ambassador to Serbia Li Ming called the project a flagship of the Belt and Road Initiative in Central and Eastern Europe and "a new milestone in the ironclad friendship" between the two countries. "This is the first high-speed railway built by a Chinese company in Europe, fully aligned with European Union (EU) technical standards," Li said, noting that construction began in 2017 and took eight years to complete.

Hungary's Deputy Transport Minister Nandor Csepreghy said the Hungarian section is expected to open next year, ensuring direct high-speed travel between Belgrade and Budapest.

The Hungary-Serbia railway stretches 341.7 km, including 183.1 km through Serbia. The Belgrade-Novi Sad railway section started operation in March 2022.