BELAM is a defunct plan for a rapid transit system in Belgrade. It was due to begin construction in 2008. It was intended to relieve Belgrade's growing traffic congestion issues, with the first stretch of line opening in 2012. The first line has an estimated cost of 450 million euro, taking some 5 years to complete.
Concept
The idea to construct a rapid transit system in Belgrade originates from the 1950s when it was driven by Belgrade's blooming number of inhabitants and the lack of adequate transport infrastructure. However, the inability to decide between proposals to construct a modern tram system and a classic underground one meant that the project was to stay largely stagnating in years to come. The political turmoil of the 1990s and lack of potential funding extinguished further development of the idea. With the beginning of the 21st century, however, the idea came to life once again, facing similar problems. Despite fierce debates on the most adequate solution, Belgrade's present leadership pressed on with a pre-feasibility study on a light rail system which received a positive review in the late 2001. BELAM, consequently, became an integral part of Belgrade's master plan for 2021. Construction was due to begin in 2006, but was postponed till 2008. Serbian group JUGINUS and Spanish INECO are in charge of the construction. Although the project's implementation seems rather certain at this point, fierce criticism by opponents has not ceased. Their main argument remains that the only criterion for choosing light rail over conventional metro was the comparatively low cost. They insist that constructing a light rail transit system will not deal with the capital's transport issues in the long run. On the other hand, project supporters maintain that the economic aspect is essential. Furthermore, they claim that estimates on maximal usage of the lines cannot exceed 13,000–14,000 passengers/hour, at least not in the next 20 years, whilst the system's capacity maxes out at 20,000 passengers/hour. The possibility of conversion to a conventional metro and easy connections to existing tram lines are, according to the supporters, further arguments in favor of light rail. There are certain speculations that the project would be abandoned in favor of a conventional metro, if Belgrade's government were to change.
Lines
Belgrade's Master plan for the year 2021 envisions three lines operating within the system. The strict timeline that saw the construction of the third line commencing as soon as 2012 has now been abandoned and the only relatively fixed date has the year 2008 as the dead-line for the beginning of Phase 0 of construction.
Line 1 – Central line is to be constructed first. The pre-feasibility study has it denoted as "primary". The overall length of the line should be 12,5 km, with 20 stations. The line is intended to start from the Tvornička St. in Zemun, headed towards the municipality of Novi Beograd, and further east, towards the riverSava. After crossing the river over a designated bridge constructed adjacent to the existing one the line is then planned to enter deep-level tunnels, calling at Square of the Republic and Nikola Pašić Square before moving on in the direction of the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law. From that station onwards, the line should then resurface and would follow the Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra St. terminating at its intersection with Ustanička St. The full list of stations is as follows:
Line 2 – Vračar line would be sharing a station with Line 1 – The Faculty of Law/Pošta station. From here it would work its way to Slavija and Prokop in deep-level tunnels. It would then proceed towards Belgrade Fair and Hipodrom. Its stations are expected to be:
Line 3 – Sava line would depart from Novi Beograd where it's supposed to share the Proleterske solidarnosti station with Central line, headed for Novi Beograd mainline train station. Afterwards it would proceed across the Sava and would terminate at Banovo Brdo. Planned stations:
