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Half of Belgrade's New Turkish Trams Out of Service Due to Defects
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ Serbia /Economy & Trade

Half of Belgrade's New Turkish Trams Out of Service Due to Defects

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Half of Belgrade's newly acquired Turkish trams are not operational due to numerous defects, according to the Center for Local Self-Government (CLS).
  • The city acquired 25 trams two years ago for 67 million euros, but many are unusable, with only 12 to 14 operating daily.
  • Two new trams are completely out of service, and none run on the line to Ustaniฤka due to track conditions.

Belgrade's public transport system is facing a significant issue, with roughly half of the recently purchased Turkish trams reportedly sidelined due to frequent breakdowns. The Center for Local Self-Government (CLS) highlighted the problem, stating that a large number of defects prevent these trams from serving the city.

The city authorities proclaimed the procurement of 25 trams a great success two years ago, although the tender was drafted for the Turkish factory Bozankaya, and the deal was worth an unrealistic 67 million euros, without VAT.

โ€” Nikola Jovanoviฤ‡Director of the Center for Local Self-Government, criticizing the initial procurement deal.

Two years ago, the city administration celebrated the procurement of 25 trams as a major success. The tender, however, was allegedly designed for the Turkish manufacturer Bozankaya, and the deal was valued at an inflated 67 million euros, excluding VAT. Despite the significant investment, CLS director Nikola Jovanoviฤ‡ lamented that citizens are still not benefiting from these trams.

But the irony of fate is that citizens do not ride those trams to this day.

โ€” Nikola Jovanoviฤ‡Highlighting the lack of service despite the purchase.

Jovanoviฤ‡ explained the situation is both simple and unfortunate: the trams suffer from numerous defects and unresolved warranty claims. Consequently, the Belgrade City Transport Company (GSP) can only dispatch between 12 and 14 trams on average each day. Adding to the problem, two of the new Turkish trams are entirely non-operational. Furthermore, the tram line to Ustaniฤka street is currently unusable by any of the new trams due to the critical condition of the tracks.

The explanation is both simple and sad: because they have a large number of defects and complaints that are not being resolved, so only between 12 and 14 trams leave the depot of the City Transport Company (GSP) on average daily.

โ€” Nikola Jovanoviฤ‡Explaining the reason behind the low operational rate.

Jovanoviฤ‡ questioned who would be held accountable for this "colossal debacle," pointing to the wasted public funds and the ongoing disruption to the city's transportation services. The situation raises serious concerns about the procurement process, the quality of the delivered vehicles, and the maintenance of essential infrastructure.

Two new Turkish trams do not run at all, and due to the critical condition of the tram track to Ustaniฤka (street), no new tram runs on that section.

โ€” Nikola Jovanoviฤ‡Detailing specific issues with the trams and infrastructure.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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