Rail transport in Montenegro

Rail transport in Montenegro is operated by four separate companies, which independently handle railway infrastructure, passenger transport, cargo transport and maintenance of the rolling stock. The four companies were a part of public company Railways of Montenegro (Montenegrin: Željeznica Crne Gore / Жељезница Црне Горе (ŽCG)) until it was split up in 2008.

Montenegro is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Montenegro is 62.

Railway Infrastructure of Montenegro

Railway infrastructure of Montenegro
Željeznička infrastruktura Crne Gore
Жељезничка Инфраструктура Црне Горе
Type	Government-owned
Industry	Rail Transport
Founded	2008
Headquarters	Podgorica, Montenegro
Services	Rail Transport
Website	http://www.zicg.me/

Railway Infrastructure of Montenegro (Montenegrin: Жељезничка Инфраструктура Црне Горе / Željeznička Infrastruktura Crne Gore (ŽICG)) is a joint-stock company that handles operation and maintenance of the railway infrastructure in Montenegro.

History

First railway in the territory that today belongs to Montenegro was narrow gauge (760 mm (2 ft 5 ¹⁵⁄₁₆ in)) Gabela - Zelenika line in 1901. This railway was built by Austria-Hungary, as it governed the territory of Boka Kotorska at the time.

However, the works on first Montenegrin railway, the Bar - Virpazar line, begun in 1905. This 750mm gauge, 43,3 km long railway was opened in 1908. The extension of this line from Virpazar to Cetinje was planned, but never came through, due to the lack of funding, and the beginning of the First World War. This historic mountain railway line overcame a rise of 550m over a 22 km run on the Sutorman mountain, with a maximum grade of 40‰. Despite the steep gradient, the railway was not using rack technology, due to the innovative route design by Italian engineers. The operating speeds on the line were 18 km/h for passenger transport, and 12 km/h for freight movement. In 2008, on the 100th anniversary of the line opening, and at the same time the anniversary of Montenegrin railways as a whole, it was planned to transfer the steam locomotive Lovćen from Podgorica Rail Station to Virpazar. This locomotive, which operated on the line, should become a part of a Montenegrin railway museum in Virpazar, which, due to lack of funds, never came through.^[1]

The railway network in Montenegro expanded during the period of Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In 1927, the Podgorica - Plavnica line (600 mm (1 ft 11 ⁵⁄₈ in)) was opened, followed by Bileća - Nikšić line in 1938. At that time, the railway network of Montenegro measured 143 km in length, with 760 mm (2 ft 5 ¹⁵⁄₁₆ in) narrow gauge as a most common standard. However, the railway network was not integrated, and 600 mm, 750 mm (2 ft 5 ¹⁄₂ in) and 760 mm were present, additionally complicating the network operations. Multimodal transport was used for freight transport between Bar and Podgorica, as goods were transported by rail from Bar to Virpazar, then ferried across the Skadar Lake to Plavnica, followed by rail transport to Podgorica once again. Thus, it is fair to say that railway network in Montenegro was underdeveloped and unorganized prior to World War II.

Following the World War 2, the railway line Podgorica - Nikšić was completed (1948), with 760 mm (2 ft 5 ¹⁵⁄₁₆ in) gauge. The first real advance towards modernisation of railway network was the start of construction of the Montenegrin section of Belgrade-Bar railway. The first section from Bar to Podgorica was completed in 1959, and this is the first section of standard gauge railway in Montenegro. At the same time, narrow gauge Podgorica - Plavnica and Bar - Virpazar lines were decommissioned.

In 1965, the Podgorica - Nikšić corridor was upgraded to standard gauge, thus standardizing the entire connection from Bar to Nikšić via Podgorica. The section from Nikšić to Bileća was decommissioned at the time, as well as the Gabela - Zelenika line. The Montenegrin section of colossal Belgrade-Bar railway project (from Bar to Vrbnica, border with Serbia) was completed in 1976, connecting Bar and Podgorica with the northern Montenegro, Serbia, and European rail network. At that time, the length of Montenegrin railway network was 225 km, with transition to standard gauge complete.

The latest addition to the Motenegrin railways was Podgorica–Shkodër line, which opened in 1986. This was a freight-only line since its opening.

Overview

The total network is 250 kilometres long and is 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) (standard gauge) for its entire length, with 225 of them electrified at 25 kV, 50 Hz AC. Almost 58 km of lines are situated in 121 tunnels. There are also 120 bridges, 9 galleries and 440 culverts. The network consists of three railway lines that converge in Podgorica, making it a junction of Montenegrin X-shaped rail network.^[2]

Belgrade-Bar railway is the backbone of the Montenegrin railway system. It opened in 1976, and then was a state-of-the art railway, with features such as Mala Rijeka viaduct (highest railway viaduct in Europe) and the 6.2 km long Sozina tunnel. About one-third of the Montenegrin part of the railway is in a tunnel or on a viaduct. It is the first railway corridor in Montenegro that was fully electrified. The railway has suffered from chronic underfunding in 1990s, resulting in it deteriorating and becoming unsafe. This culminated in the 2006 Bioče train disaster, when a passenger train derailed, killing 47 passengers. Efforts are being made to thoroughly reconstruct this railway, with northern section of the railway already being completely overhauled.
The Nikšić-Podgorica railway (56,6 km long) was built in 1948 as narrow gauge railway, and upgraded to normal gauge in 1965. Since 1992, it has been used solely for freight traffic, particularly bauxite from the Nikšić mine to the Podgorica Aluminium Plant, with maximum speed on the railway reduced to 30 km/h. The railway was thoroughly reconstructed and electrified in 2006-2012 period, with passenger service reintroduced. Operating speeds on this railway are now in 75 km/h (47 mph) - 100 km/h (62 mph) range.
The Podgorica-Shkodër railway, which extends to Tirana, has been used exclusively for freight traffic since its opening. Parts in Albania were damaged in 1997, but the connection was restored in 2002. There are plans to reconstruct the railway and introduce passenger traffic, as it is important for interests of both Montenegro and Albania.

Rail links with adjacent countries

Montenegro only has passenger railway links with Serbia. The link with Albania is only in use for freight. There are currently no railway connections with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.

Railway transport of Montenegro

Railway transport of Montenegro
Željeznički prevoz Crne Gore
Жељезнички превоз Црне Горе

Type	Government-owned
Industry	Rail Transport
Founded	2008
Headquarters	Podgorica, Montenegro
Services	Rail Transport, Services
Website	http://www.zcg-prevoz.me/

Main article: Željeznički prevoz Crne Gore

Railway transport of Montenegro (Montenegrin: Жељезнички превоз Црне Горе / Željeznički prevoz Crne Gore (ŽPCG)) is a joint-stock company that handles passenger transport within Montenegro, as well as operation of the Montenegrin rolling stock.

Former JŽ class 461 passing through Virpazar on the Belgrade-Bar line.
CAF Civity class 6111 EMU at Bar station.
New CAF Civity next to passenger train hauled by older former JŽ class 461.
412/416 EMU of ŽPCG in new livery in Podgorica station.

Montecargo

Montecargo
Montecargo
Type	Government-owned
Industry	Freight rail transport
Founded	2008
Headquarters	Podgorica, Montenegro
Services	Freight rail transport
Revenue	10 million EUR (2010)
Net income	1,5 million EUR (2010)
Number of employees	209
Website	http://www.montecargo.me/

MONTECARGO 644-015 shunting at Podgorica station.

Montecargo (Montenegrin: Montecargo) is a company that handles freight transport within Montenegro, as well as operation of the Montenegrin goods wagons and freight locomotives.

Rolling stock of Montecargo consists of 17 locomotives (15 active) and 713 freight wagons:

8 locomotives of class 461
3 locomotives of class 661
4 locomotives of class 644
2 locomotives of class 744 (none of them is active)

Rolling stock maintenance

Rolling stock maintenance
Održavanje željezničkih voznih sredstava
Одржавање жељезничких возних средстава
Type	Government-owned
Industry	Rail Transport
Founded	2010
Headquarters	Podgorica, Montenegro
Services	Rail Transport, Services
Website	http://ozvs.me/

Rolling stock maintenance (Montenegrin: Održavanje željezničkih voznih sredstava / Одржавање желјезничких возних средстава (OŽVS)) is a joint-stock company that handles maintenance of the Montenegrin passenger and freight rolling stock. It was a part of Railway transport of Montenegro company, but was split into separate company in 2011.

Railways of Montenegro in fiction

James Bond travels on Railways of Montenegro in Casino Royale. The actual train seen in the movie is the Pendolino tilting train of Czech Railways.

References

↑ ""Lovćen" se vraća kući". Pobjeda. 2008-01-06. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
↑ ŽICG Network Statement 2010 PDF

External links

Željeznička infrastruktura Crne Gore (in Montenegrin)
Željeznički prevoz Crne Gore (in Montenegrin)
Montecargo (in Montenegrin)
Map of the railway network

Rail transport in Europe

Sovereign states	Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City

States with limited recognition	Abkhazia Kosovo Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Transnistria

Dependencies and other territories	Åland Faroe Islands Gibraltar Guernsey Jersey Isle of Man Svalbard

Other entities	European Union

Railway infrastructure companies

Africa	Algeria Anesrif

Asia	Japan Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency Railway Technical Research Institute South Korea Korea Rail Network Authority

Europe	Austria ÖBB-Infrastruktur Belgium Infrabel Bulgaria NRIC Croatia HZ Infrastruktura Czech Republic Správa železniční dopravní cesty Denmark Banedanmark Estonia EVR Infra France SNCF Réseau/RFF, Eurotunnel Finland Finnish Rail Administration Germany DB Netze Greece Hellenic Railways Organisation Hungary Magyar Államvasutak Italy Rete Ferroviaria Italiana Lithuania LDz infrastruktūra Luxembourg Communauté de Transports – Accès Réseau Montenegro ŽICG Netherlands ProRail, Keyrail , Infraspeed Norway Norwegian National Rail Administration Poland Polskie Linie Kolejowe PCC Śląskie Linie Kolejowe Portugal Rede Ferroviária Nacional Romania Compania Natională de Căi Ferate Slovakia Railways of Slovak Republic – ŽSR Slovenia AŽP Spain Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias Sweden Swedish Transport Administration United Kingdom Network Rail, Eurotunnel

Oceania	Australia Australian Rail Track Corporation Brookfield Rail RailCorp VicTrack New Zealand KiwiRail Network (New Zealand Railways Corporation)

National railway companies of Europe

List of railway companies Rail transport by country Railway companies by country

Albania HSH Armenia SKZD¹ Austria ÖBB Azerbaijan ADY Belarus BŽD/BČ Belgium SNCB/NMBS Bosnia ŽFBH² and ŽRS³ Bulgaria BDŽ Croatia HŽ Czech Republic ČD Denmark DSB Estonia EVR Finland VR France SNCF Georgia SR¹ Germany DB Greece TrainOSE Hungary MÁV Ireland IÉ Italy FS Kazakhstan KTŽ¹ Kosovo HK/KŽ⁴ Latvia LDZ Lithuania LG Luxembourg CFL Macedonia MŽ Moldova CFM Montenegro ŽPCG Netherlands NS Norway NSB Poland PKP Portugal CP Romania CFR Russia RŽD¹ Serbia ŽS Slovakia ŽSSK Slovenia SŽ Spain Renfe Operadora Sweden SJAB Switzerland SBB/CFF/FFS Turkey TCDD¹ Ukraine UZ United Kingdom NR⁵ / NIR⁶

¹Country partly in Asia ²For the Federation BH ³For Srpska ⁴State with limited recognition ⁵For Great Britain ⁶For Northern Ireland

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