Transport from Serbia by various means to other countries. Opportunities of Serbia's cargo transport infrastructure

Serbia is a European country on the Balkan Peninsula. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, of which Serbia was the main part, was one of the most economically developed countries in the socialist bloc. The disintegration of Yugoslavia, the subsequent wars, and international sanctions severely undermined Serbia's economy.

In addition to the fact that other republics broke away from Yugoslavia, the Republic of Kosovo was proclaimed on the territory of Serbia, mainly populated by Albanians. Most of the world recognized Kosovo, but Serbia, Russia, and China did not. The periodically escalating tension between Kosovo and Serbia hinders Serbia's economic development. The unemployment rate in the country is 25% of the working-age population.

Geographical location and types of transport in Serbia

Serbia is striving to join the EU and aims to maintain its transport infrastructure at an acceptable level. All modern types of transport are developed in the country: air, road, rail, and water. Serbia has no access to the sea, but the Danube, which flows through its territory, allows navigation to the Black Sea.

Serbia shares land borders with Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania (in fact, this border belongs to Kosovo), Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although the main wars have ended, Serbia's relations with most of the former Yugoslav republics are strained, which hinders the development of its economy.

Roads in Serbia

The wars severely damaged Serbia's infrastructure. The roads were also heavily affected. However, the country is actively restoring them, and overall, it can be said that the condition of Serbia's road network is good.

In any case, the main transport routes allow for the transportation of cargo by road transport.

The length of Serbian roads exceeds 44,000 km. 28,000 km of roads have a solid surface. The highways account for 688 km of roads. Some roads are toll roads. The toll amount depends on the type of vehicle and the distance traveled on the toll road.

Aviation infrastructure in Serbia

There are 39 airports in Serbia. However, only six of them have received codes from the International Air Transport Association. These airports are located in the cities:

• Belgrade. The capital has 2 airports.
• Niš.
• Užice.
• Kraljevo.
• Priština.

In fact, only one of the Belgrade airports accepts regular flights. The airport in Niš serves charter flights, which arrive and depart infrequently. The other airports are inactive. Nevertheless, it is technically possible to send air cargo to Serbia or receive it from there.

River transport in Serbia

Along the Danube, Sava, Tisa, Great Morava, and the Danube-Tisa-Danube canal, Serbia has 587 km of waterways navigable for cargo ships. However, navigation on the Great Morava depends on weather conditions. The river becomes navigable when the width of its mouth reaches 20 km. The main river ports are located in:

• Belgrade.
• Apatin.
• Novi Sad.
• Pančevo-Smederevo.
• Negotin.
• Sremska Mitrovica.
• Šabac.
• Senta.
• Bečej.

Serbian railways

The total length of Serbia's railway tracks is 3,808 km, of which 1,196 km are electrified. The double-track sections of the railways have a length of 275 km. The width of the railway gauge in Serbia is 1,435 mm. When planning railway transport between the CIS countries and Serbia, it is necessary to consider the need for transshipment of cargo along the way. The gauge width in the former USSR republics is 1,520 mm.

Export from Serbia

The main items of Serbian exports include: road vehicles, cable products, rubber tires for vehicles, electric motors, frozen fruits, nuts.