Serbian railways aren’t extensive. From my map it looks like they have exactly two lines. Count em and weep. One line goes down the spine of the country coming out of Zagreb (Croatia), down through the middle, all the way to Skopje in Macedonia. The other line comes from the Sofia (Bulgaria) in the east, and meets the other line somewhere towards the middle of the country. A giant T intersection if you will. The eastern line is only one track and wends it’s way through the mountains and tunnels, seeking to escape to the plain.
Trouble is, that it isn’t a very robust track, and it’s just as well that there’s only one train a day. The one we took. The one that has a 30km/h limit. You know, like Puffing Billy where the conductor can run along side and beat the train. Well, not our conductor I’d admit. He’s run after a bit much food in his time, and is now undertaking a prolonged period of rest. Anyway, it’s incredibly depressing after 6 hours of walking pace in a stinking hot 2nd class Serbian carriage to realise that you are only a quarter of the way there.
A while after the T intersection we picked up pace, and a first class carriage. Here’s the go we thought. As did a whole stack of 2nd class passengers. Can’t quite work out why 1st class was any better. Still no A/C, and the toilets were just as dirty, so we stayed where we were and felt smug. By the middle of the afternoon with the sun beating in, it was a sauna. Then we found relief. The conductor (imagine doing this everyday!) had the sensible idea of leaving the carriage door open to funnel the wind in. Trouble was, the door opened outwards and clipped every tree we passed. Looked like a giant mulcher had deposited its load in the aisle, but at least those of us slumming it near the conductor in 2nd class had a bit of a breeze. Mind you, the train was so slow that we had a total of four changes of conductor, which meant 4 tickets checks, and the last conductor wanted the door shut.
Ended up two hours late arriving, which in one way was just as well. When I booked the tickets, we were scheduled to arrive at the main train station. They closed that last month, and so our host told us yesterday that we would be arriving at an outer station instead, definitely not walking distance, and offered to pick us up. But when she arrived this evening to pick us up, she was told that we would be arriving at yet a third station nowhere near the other two. Just as well we were late. When she told us that the Serbian Railways were the worst in Europe, we didn’t have the heart to disagree. You can hardly see out the windows for the graffiti.
Finally arrived at our lovely, but small, apartment around 9.
Watching The World Go By
The Scenery
Worst Railways In The World
Kaca’s Apartment
View From The Train
View From The Train
View From The Train