Serbia's state-owned railway company suspended all train service across the country in the early hours of Friday morning, just hours before a major student-led protest planned for Belgrade's Slavija Square. The unprecedented nationwide shutdown, which stranded thousands of passengers and disrupted travel across the entire nation, has drawn sharp criticism from European Union officials and accusations that the government is using state infrastructure to suppress peaceful assembly.
Serbian Railways announced at 4:15 a.m. that Infrastruktura železnice Srbije had suspended all train operations "until further notice," citing an anonymous bomb threat. The timing—mere hours before students had called for citizens from across Serbia to converge on the capital for an 18:00 demonstration—prompted immediate suspicions that the shutdown was politically motivated rather than a genuine security concern.
A leaked audio recording that circulated on social media Friday appeared to capture railway officials discussing orders to halt service, contradicting official explanations. Opposition politician Olenik announced that criminal complaints against railway directors for abuse of office and political discrimination had been prepared, demanding that officials personally compensate citizens and the railway company for damages.
Despite the transport shutdown, videos posted throughout the day showed convoys from western Serbia and Šumadija making their way toward Belgrade by car. Citizens organized carpools and alternative transportation, demonstrating a level of grassroots mobilization that the government's infrastructure disruption failed to prevent. Social media showed crowds gathering from Zemun, Banovo Brdo, and other Belgrade neighborhoods, while supporters from neighboring countries posted messages of solidarity.

