Novi Sad's train station bottleneck: One counter serves thousands, commuters wait

Thousands of passengers at Petrovaradin train station in Novi Sad are enduring lengthy waits because only one ticket counter has been operational for nearly two years. This situation has created a bottleneck, with travelers reporting waits of up to an hour to purchase tickets.

The single counter serves thousands of people daily. Passengers without travel cards or those unable to buy tickets online face the longest delays. "What one counter is doing is a disaster," one passenger lamented, recounting a wait from 9:15 AM to 10:00 AM just to buy a ticket. Another added, "It's not right, more counters should be working."

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This is a disaster.

Adding to the inconvenience, the first train to Belgrade departs only 11 minutes after the counter opens. Passengers at the end of the line must buy tickets on the train, incurring a 500 dinar surcharge. This issue has been raised for over a year, with Srbijavoz's previous solution being to open another counter at the bus station, seven kilometers away.

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It's not right, more counters should be working.

Attempts to contact Srbijavoz's call center have also been met with delays, with requests to send emails. Both Srbijavoz and Serbian Railways Infrastructure have not yet responded to inquiries. Marija Bulić, a journalist from Portal 021, noted that public dissatisfaction extends beyond the ticket counter, citing issues with parking and the lack of coordination between bus and train schedules for reaching the Petrovaradin station.

City authorities are working on reconstructing parts of the main train station and starting work on a second station in Novi Sad. However, the timeline for these projects remains unclear, and it is uncertain when the Petrovaradin station will fully resume normal operations. For now, passengers are left to wait, a situation they have become accustomed to.

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The public is, to put it mildly, outraged. Both because of the crowds that form there, the lack of parking, and also the problems with how to get to the Petrovaradin railway station due to the lack of coordination between buses and train schedules.