Rail transport in Montenegro
AJŽ series 461 atVranjina
Operation
Infrastructure company	ŽICG
Major operators	ŽPCG,Montecargo
System length
Total	250 km (155 mi)
Electrified	225 km (140 mi)
Track gauge
Main	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (standard gauge)
Electrification
Main	25 kV, 50 Hz AC
Features
No. tunnels	121
Tunnel length	58 km (36 mi)
Longest tunnel	Sozina (6,170 m)
No. bridges	120
No. stations	7 stations, 41 stops
Highest elevation	1,032 mAMSL (atKolašin)
Lowest elevation	3 mAMSL (atBar)
Map Show static diagram Show static map

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 companyRailways of Montenegro (Montenegrin: Željeznica Crne Gore / Жељезница Црне Горе (ŽCG)) until it was split up in 2008.

Montenegro is an associate member of theInternational Union of Railways (UIC). TheUIC Country Code for Montenegro is 62.

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

The first railway line within the territory that today belongs to Montenegro was anarrow-gauge (760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in)) railway lineGabela - Zelenika, which opened in 1901. This railway line was built byAustria-Hungary, which governed the territory ofBoka Kotorska at the time.

However, the works on the first Montenegrin railway, theBar -Virpazar line, begun in 1905. This was a narrow-gauge (750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in)) railway line, 43.3 km long, which opened in 1908. The extension of this line fromVirpazar toCetinje was planned, but never came through, due to lack of funding, and the beginning of theFirst World War. This historicmountain railway line overcame a rise of 670m over an 18 km run on theSutorman mountain, with a maximumgrade of 40‰. Despite the steep gradient, the railway was not usingrack technology, due to the innovative route design byItalian 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 thesteam locomotiveLovćen fromPodgorica Rail Station to Virpazar. This locomotive, which operated on the line, should become a part of aMontenegrin railway museum in Virpazar, which, due to lack of funds, never came through.^[1]

The railway network in Montenegro expanded during the period ofKingdom of Yugoslavia. In 1927, thePodgorica -Plavnica line (600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in)) was opened, followed byBileća -Nikšić line in 1938. At that time, the railway network of Montenegro measured 143 km in length, with760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in)narrow gauge as a most common standard. However, the railway network was not integrated, and600 mm,750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) and760 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 theSkadar 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 toWorld War II.

Following World War II, the railway linePodgorica - Nikšić was completed (1948), with760 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 ofBelgrade–Bar railway. The first section from Bar to Podgorica was completed in 1959, and this is the first section ofstandard gauge railway in Montenegro. At the same time,narrow gaugePodgorica - Plavnica andBar - Virpazar lines were decommissioned.

In 1965, thePodgorica - 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 withSerbia) 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 tostandard gauge complete.

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

In 2012, Podgorica-Niksic railway was opened for passenger traffic after twenty years of absence. The line was modernised and electrified.

As of 2019, ZICG managed to modernise the northern part of the line the Belgrade-Bar railway between Bijelo Polje and Trebesice, and inside the Sozina tunnel.

The total network is 250 kilometres long and is1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (standard gauge) for its entire length, with 225 of them electrified at25 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 asMala 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 the 1990s, resulting in it deteriorating and becoming unsafe. This culminated in the 2006Bioče 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 European Investment Bank (EIB) agreed in January 2023 to provide finance of EUR 76 million for rail improvements on the Bar – Podgorica – Vrbnica rail line.^[3]
• TheNikšić–Podgorica railway (56,6 km long) was built in 1948 as narrow gauge railway, and upgraded to standard gauge in 1965. Since 1992, it has been used solely forfreight traffic, particularlybauxite from the Nikšić mine to thePodgorica 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 75–100 km/h (47–62 mph) range.
• ThePodgorica–Shkodër railway, which extends toTirana, has been used exclusively for freight traffic since its opening. Parts in Albaniawere 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 bothMontenegro andAlbania.

Montenegro only has passenger railway links withSerbia. The link withAlbania is only in use for freight, although the 2022 EU plan Railway Route 2 that will connect the two countries and their ports at Bar and Durres to the EU rail network within five years.^[4] There are currently no railway connections withBosnia and Herzegovina andCroatia since thebreakup of Yugoslavia.

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

• Current rolling stock of Montenegrin Railways
• 
  FormerJŽ class 461 passing throughVirpazar on theBelgrade-Bar line.
• 
  CAF Civity class 6111 EMU at Bar station.
• 
  NewCAF Civity next to passenger train hauled by older formerJŽ class 461.
• 
  ŽS series 412/416 EMU of ŽPCG in new livery in Podgorica station.

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

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

• 8 locomotives of classJŽ 461
• 3 locomotives of classJŽ 661
• 4 locomotives of classJŽ 644
• 2 locomotives of classJŽ 744 (none of them are active)

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

James Bond travels on the railways of Montenegro inCasino Royale. The actual train seen in the movie is thePendolinotilting train ofCzech Railways.

Josip Broz Tito'sBlue Train used theJŽ class 11,JŽ D66/761 (DB Class V 200 based), and laterJŽ class 666 (EMD JT22CW-2) locomotives. It is now operated on theBar - Belgrade line as a tourist attraction.^[5]

• Transport in Montenegro
• Belgrade–Bar railway
• Tito's Blue Train
• Serbian Railways

Wikimedia Commons has media related toRail transport in Montenegro.

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

• Rail transport in Montenegro

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• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles using infobox templates with no data rows
• Commons category link is on Wikidata