Rail traffic in Serbia - Single track part / Belgrade - Niš mainline / The South Morava river valley

WW2 German bunkers, an old rail tunnel, a bridge, a rail-walking cat and track bugs — all of these are integral parts of the flora and fauna of an old single-track section of the Belgrade–Niš railway line, threaded through the narrow valley of the South Morava River. The Belgrade–Niš railway line is the main transit rail line in Serbia for numerous international freight trains between Southeastern Europe (Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia) and Central Europe. Belgrade and Niš were connected as early as 1884, making this one of the first railways in the region.

The old single-track, standard-gauge line was modernized over time, and much of it eventually became double-track. However, due to the high construction costs on difficult sections, such as the narrow and winding valley of the South Morava River, the line remained single-track there, with opposing trains passing at several intermediate stations and passing loops.

Electrification was completed in the 1970s, and since then the line has seen no significant modernization or overhaul. Over the past few decades, the Serbian Railways have experienced a complete lack of regular track maintenance, allowing nature to reclaim much of the rail infrastructure. The railway and its old structures have gradually become fully integrated into the surrounding landscape and the scenery of this meandering river valley.

A significant part of Serbia’s freight rail traffic passes along this line. The video features 22 various freight trains operated by different railway companies, 2 agency Optima Express trains between Edirne (Turkey) and Villach (Austria) and EMU Stadler Flirt local passenger trains. Numerous electric locomotives (MRCE, Euro Sprinter, Siemens Taurus, Vectron, old Swedish ASEA and Electroputere Craiova Romania locomotives, Romanian GFR, Serbian Railways and MonteCargo class 461 units, old Czechoslovak 25 kV locomotives…) as well as one diesel-electric SŽ 664 locomotive, are shown. Among the different trains, tank-trains and tank wagons transporting hazardous and other materials most often appear. The video includes tank trains carrying gasoline, diesel, oil, gases, various acids, and molasses.

The highlight moments of filming include a uniquely photogenic yellow cat that wandered from a nearby village to a deserted farm-road level crossing and stayed there for several hours during the shoot. This is where a possibly unique scene of a cat walking along a track rail was captured. Additionally, alongside the natural landscape and the macro world, the video also features the essential micro-world of the tracks — special species of blue stag beetles. The video shows their feeding rituals on the grass growing between the tracks, as well as distinctive scenes of their interactions and movements across the ballast, rails, and sleepers, all beneath passing trains.

Above this ground-level world of insects and grass stand numerous protective railway structures—witnesses of wartime events in this region—such as large old German bunkers from World War II. In front of one of them there is also an old guardhouse that once housed the railway guard stationed at the Stevanac tunnel.

Filming the many sequences that make up this video took an entire year. Because of that, several special seasonal transition scenes appear, shifting from winter and autumn into spring and summer. The most striking among them is the sudden cut from a dry winter scene, with leafless trees, to the lush greenery of summer surrounding the large steel bridges over the South Morava River. Each such compilation of trains and nature is accompanied by numerous distinctive ambient sounds. The frequent alternation — and disruption — of those sounds by passing trains and by their horns echoing through the valley and the surrounding hills contributes greatly to the overall atmosphere and enjoyment.

This one-of-a-kind railfan experience took place on the section between Stalać and Đunis (the Belgrade–Niš railway line section between Paraćin and Aleksinac), near the areas of Stevanac, Braljina, Cerovo, Trubarevo, and Đunis.
All footage was recorded during 2025.

-----

Teretni i putnički železnički saobraćaj kroz Srbiju - pruga Beograd - Niš - jednokolosečna deonica kroz dolinu Južne Morave.
U videu su prikazani različiti teretni vozovi, različitih železničkih operatera. Najviše je prisutnih onih sa cisternama za prevoz opasnih i drugih materija. Tu su cisterne-vozovi za prevoz benzina, dizela, gasa, različitih kiselina i melase...

Hajlajt momenti tokom snimanja ovog videa su jedna specijalno fotogenična žuta mačka, možda jedinstvena scena hodanja mačke po železničkoj šini i mikro svet u koloseku - specijalne vrste plavih buba. Takođe, video prikazuje i stare nemačke bunkere iz Drugog Svetskog Rata, ispred železničkog tunela Stevanac i starih čeličnih mostova preko reke Južna Morava.

Snimanje brojnih sekvenci za nastanak ovog videa trajalo je godinu dana.
Deonica Stalać - Đunis,
2025. godine.