Serbia rail service suspension came before a major student-led protest planned in Belgrade. It added new pressure to an already tense political confrontation in the country.

Serbia rail service suspension before Belgrade protest
Serbia rail service suspension before Belgrade protest

Srbija Voz, the state-owned rail operator, kept its morning notice brief: train operations had been “temporarily” stopped nationwide. The company gave no explanation for the decision. In Subotica, a city on Serbia’s northern border, a company employee also could not say what had caused the suspension. It was the third time Serbian authorities had halted rail traffic before student demonstrations.

Serbia rail service suspension before the protest

The latest shutdown affected train service across Serbia ahead of a Saturday evening rally at Belgrade’s Slavija Square. Organizers expected turnout similar to earlier demonstrations, which had brought tens of thousands of people into the streets.

Officials had previously cited anonymous bomb threats when rail services were suspended before protests in March and June of last year. Independent observers argued that those measures were intended to stop protesters from other Serbian cities from reaching the capital. The same concern now surrounds the new nationwide suspension.

Several organizers and supporters of the demonstrations have been arrested in recent months. Civic organizations and opposition groups say the Serbian government has responded to the protest movement with harsh measures against protesters.

Novi Sad train station tragedy behind student anger

The protests began after the November 2024 disaster in Novi Sad, where 16 people died when a canopy collapsed at the city’s train station. Students became the leading force in the movement and demanded the resignation of President Aleksandar Vučić.

Railway Supply previously covered the fatal railway station roof collapse in Novi Sad, the same incident that the text identifies as the starting point of the protests. The Novi Sad train station tragedy also triggered corruption allegations around renovation work at the station.

In August 2025, a former minister and ten other people were arrested in Serbia in connection with the case involving the station roof. Prosecutors said those arrested had responsibilities linked to renovation work at the station.

Among those arrested was former Infrastructure Minister Tomislav Momirovic. According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime, six suspects are accused of inflating invoices issued by a consortium made up of China Railway International Co and China Communications Construction Co. The two Chinese companies had been entrusted with work on the renovation of the Novi Sad train station and railway lines.

Corruption claims deepen pressure on Vučić

The Prosecutor’s Office said the alleged invoice inflation caused 115.6 million USD in damage to Serbia’s state budget, while the Chinese consortium made a profit of 18.8 million USD. Protesters accuse the authorities of negligence and corruption in connection with the Novi Sad accident.

The student protests in Belgrade have become one of the biggest political challenges for the Vučić administration in recent years. The movement has gained support from university professors, civic organizations and opposition parties. They accuse the Belgrade government of excessive control over institutions and of limiting democratic freedoms.