Serbian Railways

Serbian Railways

Native name	Железнице Србије / Železnice Srbije
Type	Government owned
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	Belgrade, Serbia (May 17, 2005 (2005-05-17)) First founded 1881
Headquarters	Belgrade, Serbia
Area served	Serbia
Key people	Vacant (General director)
Products	Rail transport, Cargo transport, Services
Revenue	€230.19 million (2013)
Net income	-€71.73 million (2013)
Total assets	€2.428 billion (2013)
Total equity	€1.780 million (2013)
Owner	Government of Serbia (100%)
Number of employees	19,896
Website	www.zeleznicesrbije.com

Serbian Railways (Serbian: Железнице Србије / Železnice Srbije) is the national railway company of Serbia. Serbian Railways is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Serbia is 72.

The history of rail transport in Serbia began in the mid-19th century when most of the territory was still held by the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires. The first rail line on the present-day territory of Serbia was inaugurated on 20 August 1854, between Lisava-Oravica-Bazijaš and the train operated on horse-drawn traffic which were replaced in 1856 by steam locomotives. Part of the line is located in Serbia passing through Bela Crkva while the rest is in Romania. All subsequently built lines were laid towards Budapest as the territory was still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire back then. On the territory which was under the Ottomans, the line Skopje-Kosovska Mitrovica was inaugurated in 1874. However, the major expansion began after the Berlin Congress and the independence of the, theretofore vassal to the Ottomans, Kingdom of Serbia during the second half of the 19th century.

Serbian Railways as a company is traced back to 1881 when King Milan I declared formation of the Serbian National Railways. The first train departed from Belgrade to Niš on 23 August 1884, which is considered by Serbian Railways as the official year when the company was created.