Montenegro’s railway carried fewer passengers and fewer tonnes of freight during the first quarter of 2026, but the goods that remained on the network travelled farther. The divergence offers a useful measure of the operational and commercial challenges facing the country’s rail system.
Rail passenger traffic declined from 138,000 passengers in the first quarter of 2025 to 123,000 in the first quarter of 2026, a contraction of almost 11 per cent. Passenger-kilometres fell 12.7 per cent, from 10.35 million to 9.04 million.
Freight volumes decreased more sharply. The railway transported 233,000 tonnes, compared with 308,000 tonnes a year earlier, a decline of approximately 24 per cent.
Tonne-kilometres nevertheless increased from 39.87 million to 40.54 million, growth of around 1.7 per cent. This means average freight distance rose substantially. Fewer tonnes were carried, but the remaining cargo moved over longer routes.
The data may reflect changes in the mix of commodities, customers and international transit flows. Montenegro’s railway is closely connected to the Port of Bar, the Bar-Belgrade corridor, industrial customers and regional freight networks. A reduction in short-distance bulk traffic can lower tonnage even when long-distance international movements remain stable.
Passenger weakness presents a different problem. Rail competes with road transport on speed, frequency, reliability and comfort. Montenegro’s geography gives rail potential on the Bar-Podgorica-Bijelo Polje corridor, but infrastructure condition, service interruptions and long journey times limit its attractiveness.
Investment in track rehabilitation, signalling, rolling stock, stations and border procedures could improve both passenger and freight performance. The economic case is strongest when rail improvements are coordinated with Port of Bar capacity, logistics terminals and Serbia’s wider transport network.
Freight customers require reliable timetables and predictable transit times. A technically available railway is not enough when delays, locomotive shortages or border procedures make road transport commercially safer. Infrastructure investment therefore needs to be matched by operating reform and measurable service standards.
The fall in passenger volumes also raises questions about the social and regional function of the railway. Northern municipalities need affordable and dependable connections to Podgorica and the coast. Reducing services in response to falling demand can produce a cycle in which lower frequency causes further passenger losses.
Montenegro’s first-quarter data do not describe a rail system without demand. They describe one in which the composition of freight is changing while passenger use continues to weaken. Longer-haul cargo preserved tonne-kilometres, but the contraction in physical volumes and passenger traffic leaves the network’s financial and operating position under pressure.
