"The speed of 200 kilometers per hour is 4 minutes away. This experience is amazing!" On October 3, local time, Serbian President Vucic could not hide his excitement on the Hungary-Serbian railway train and praised him repeatedly in front of the camera. On this day, with the official opening of Novi Sad to Subotica section (Nosu section), the Serbian section of the Hungary-Serbian Railway was fully opened. This "steel dragon" built by a Chinese company completely rewritten the transportation map of the Balkans.

Before this, it took more than 5 hours to take the train from Belgrade, the capital of Serbia to the border city of Subotica, which was slower than driving by yourself. Now you can get there directly in as fast as 1 hour and 19 minutes. It is equivalent to a cup of coffee and you can run from the core of a country to the border. This "time magic" has precedent: after the Belgrade to Novi Sad section was opened to traffic in 2022, the commuting time between the two places was cut from 90 minutes to 30 minutes, and a total of 11 million people were sent in more than three years, equivalent to one-third of the total Serbian population having taken this trip to China to build high-speed rail.

This train has a lot of "little thoughts". The body of the car is painted with red, blue and white colors of the Serbian flag, and the black area on the side of the front of the car is hidden with the elements of the national emblem, like a running "national business card". The carriage not only has a wheelchair storage area and a bicycle rack, but also comes with a coffee machine and a vending machine, which takes into account both practicality and comfort. What is more hardcore is the "Chinese core" - from rails to train control systems, 54% of the equipment is Chinese standards, and has also passed the EU TSI certification, which is equivalent to getting the "entry ticket" for the European market with a "Chinese ID card".

For Serbs, this railway is not only "fast", but also "warm". During the construction period, not only did a large number of local employees be hired and local building materials were purchased, but also deliberately followed the principle of "repairing the old as the old" to preserve the historical style of cultural relics along the route. After opening the traffic, tourism and catering businesses along the route became popular with the naked eye. The ancient castle of Novi Sad and the artistic buildings of Subotica will soon welcome more tourists.

The significance of this matter has long exceeded the scope of a country. As a flagship project of the "Belt and Road", the Hungary-Serbia Railway is the first time that China's high-speed rail technology has entered the EU market on a large scale. After the Hungarian section is completed next year, it will only take 3 hours to Belgrade from Budapest. The China-Europe freight train will take one week less from the Greek port to the European hinterland, and the logistics cost will be greatly reduced. Vucic's words "Thank you for your hardcore friendship" on the train are the best annotations for this kind of cooperation.

From rail paving into Europe to high-speed trains galloping across the Balkans, the Hungary-Serbia Railway proves that good technology does not distinguish between national boundaries, and true friendship can outperform time. This "steel bond" not only shortens the distance, but also brings people closer. In the future, more "Chinese speed" will write wonderful stories around the world.