After a several-hour flight, an exhausted tourist with a huge backpack leaves the Podgorica airport building, searching the Internet for a route to the city center, i.e. a transfer to the seaside.
He doesn't realize that there is a real fight going on around him - people posing as taxi drivers, even though their vehicles don't have any taxi markings, but they clashed over who will offer transportation to those tourists.
If he successfully avoids illegal taxi drivers, the tourist will be happy - on the Google map, he finds that a few hundred meters from the airport, the "Aerodrom" train station, from which he can go almost to the center of Podgorica or even to Bar, for a pittance.
Follow the directions, then turn on the camera. While shaking his head in disbelief, he continues to film small landfills, bushes, branches and a small space covered with graffiti, without doors or windows, from a few benches.
He realizes that it is a station, without shade, a tap with drinking water, a toilet, but also unpleasant smells in the middle of the summer heat.
While posting the videos on social networks, exchanging impressions with other tourists who are also waiting for the train, he has no idea that he will have another visit from the "taxi driver", who he thought left them in front of the airport.
They are pushy, they convince him that for 15 euros they will avoid waiting for a "shabby" train in such a place. They also convince the other tourists, because "it can fit four people, so their total bill is cheaper - 15 euros per person". As time passes, the tariff only gets higher.
As the "Vijesti" team was convinced, this is the first image of Montenegro for many tourists.
The Railway Infrastructure of Montenegro blames "irresponsible individuals" for such a first impression.
“Can be fixed in two days”
Civic activist Aleksandar Dragićević, however, told "Vijesta" that "Montenegro depends a lot on the tourist season and tourism, and it is necessary to make sure that the first contact of tourists with Montenegro is as good and as easy as possible."
"Those guests who would like to get directly to Bar from the Podgorica airport come to the train station, which is actually a public toilet, and to say the least, very unconditioned. That railway station, where sometimes dozens of tourists are waiting, could be remodeled and brought to its intended use in just one or two days so that tourists do not have a bad impression. If we look on social networks, we have numerous videos of tourists talking in amazement and disappointment about the transportation from the Podgorica airport to Podgorica. "Montenegro is one of the few countries in Europe that does not have an organized bus transfer from the airport to Podgorica, which represents a huge problem and sends a negative image of us as a destination," says Dragićević.
The state railway company explained to "Vijesti" that "during 2021, they carried out work on the adaptation of the building in the form of cleaning, whitewashing, installation of new benches and thus brought it to a more or less satisfactory condition."
They also point out that "irresponsible individuals often destroy inventory, paint walls and leave trash, and ŽICG services are not always able to maintain the infrastructure at the required level."
ŽICG also claims that "they don't have enough funds and that larger funds must be allocated for the maintenance of infrastructure and facilities in order to make them more functional."
They said that "the largest part of the funds was spent on renovating critical places on the track itself, in order to preserve traffic safety".
"Tourists, as well as all citizens, deserve organized and equipped stops, and ŽICG is doing everything in its power to make it possible for them," said ŽICG.
Dragićević is also familiar with the problem of "wild taxi drivers" in front of the airport, as well as the local train station.
He explains that after landing at the Podgorica airport, tourists are still greeted by "numerous 'wild taxi drivers', who often charge them huge sums to transport them only to Podgorica".
"In the evening, the situation is the worst because the ride to Podgorica costs 80 or 90 euros," says Dragićević.
Airports are asking for help
The state company Aerodromi Crne Gore points to this problem during this season as well.
They repeatedly appealed to other state institutions and authorities to help them solve this issue.
The Airport told "Vijesta" that wild taxi drivers are damaging the reputation of the country by their inappropriate behavior and assaulting passengers.
They also point out that passengers regularly complain to them about the mistreatment of persons who perform illegal taxi transport.
"In practice, it happens almost every day that taxi drivers, who are not authorized, massively usurp leased parking positions, parking space, but also the bus stop, the complete circular (entrance and exit) road, and even green areas. In addition to creating crowds and causing inconvenience to tourists who arrive in Podgorica, in this way they threaten the safety and security of road traffic in front of the airport", said the state company.
According to the state company, wild taxi drivers daily violate house rules, cause conflicts, send threats, insults, abuse in order to avoid paying for parking services, and not so often they are the initiators of disruption of public order at the Podgorica Airport border crossing.
"The Security Service of Podgorica Airport, regardless of the continuous warnings to which these persons are ignored, does not have the authority to prosecute these persons, which is why we once again call on all competent institutions to get involved and make additional efforts in order to succeed in systematically solving this problem". they said.
In this context, the Airport says, they have initiated numerous calls to all institutions and bodies that they "recognized as capable of contributing to the solution of this long-standing problem, and on this occasion once again expressed their willingness to, as before, provide maximum contribution in this matter ".
"Also, we hereby once again invite them to start reconsidering this problem and planning activities that would finally eliminate this negative phenomenon and ugly image, which these days, and unfortunately for many years, are witnessed by many passengers and employees of all entities at Podgorica Airport", the company concluded.
Virpazar and Sutomore priorities
ŽICG explained that "priorities were cellular facilities in Virpazar and Sutomor", but that "they did not forget about activities on other facilities either."
"In the course of this year, in addition to the large number of works we carried out on the tracks, the renovations of Virpazar and Sutomore stations were also carried out. Station buildings were painted, wet junctions were installed, lighting was repaired, locks were partially repaired, new benches were installed... The platform for passengers at Sutomore station was also extended, and there were also all the smaller repairs that, in accordance with the possibilities, were carried out by those services", they told "Vijesti".
They added that "at the time when the current management took over the company, the entire infrastructure was in such a state that it did not guarantee the required level of safety, so the first priority was to create conditions for smooth and safe traffic."
"The management of ŽICG undertook all activities, insisting on the obligation to abandon the previous practice of neglecting one of the most important infrastructure resources of Montenegro. As a result of these activities, the state increased funds for infrastructure maintenance through the budget reserve, unfortunately only in December 2022 and in the current year", said ŽICG and added that what has not been maintained for 30-50 years cannot be reconstructed overnight. .
From that state-owned company, they said that they "launched projects for the reconstruction of all rail lines in Montenegro, with all associated systems, through financing by international financial institutions, with the support of the Government of Montenegro."
As they say, "they expect that all road routes, the complete railway and associated systems will be reconstructed in three to five years".
"As part of the project to modernize the railway line Golubovci - Bar, the preparation of the Main Project is underway with the aim of rehabilitating all facilities and the railway system on this railway line", they said from ŽICG.
NTO: Competent to solve the problem
The National Tourism Organization (NTO) told "Vijesti" that "infrastructural facilities are an important segment of the tourist offer, and such examples can negatively affect the promotion of Montenegro as a tourist destination."
They expect the relevant institutions to "recognize this problem and take the necessary steps to reconstruct and improve the station space."
The organization said that "their mission is to create the best possible image of the destination and they support efforts to improve the infrastructure and conditions at the station, so that tourists can enjoy the destination and feel welcome."
"In order to create an overall picture of the quality of the destination, the NTO of Montenegro launched a pilot study on integral quality management in the destination. The goal is to raise quality in all segments that affect the quality of services and products in tourism. The results of this research will provide significant guidance to all entities from the field of tourism for improving the quality of the tourist offer", said the NTO.
Comments from social networks
Considering that I use the train for TRANSPORTATION almost every Sunday, I am often embarrassed when foreigners (whom you can imagine there are even in the off-season) ask me if the next stop is the airport. Because this is what that station looks like. In a tourist country. In an ecological country.
I believe that some of them also feel a slight transfer of blame when it comes across, and some even immortalize it with their phones.
(Jangrizalo)
There is a railway station 'Aerodrom' that passes by the airport where trains stop and is located 150 meters from the airport, but it looks like a field toilet, the platform doesn't even have a concrete slab but some gravel, they didn't even put planks over the tracks for the crossing, and the path from the station to the airport is macadam, you drag that suitcase and gravel to kill yourself so something doesn't pop out. If they paid 5.000 euros for a concrete path at least to the airport, they would have a free train to Podgorica, but then the bread is taken from the 3000 taxi drivers in the city, and of course this is a welfare state, so they will not give the people a choice but to take a taxi that cuts your hair. Whoever has money for a plane, also has money for a taxi, he says.
(Emperor Soul)
This station EXISTS!!! There is no clear walking distance from the airport which seems intentional. There is also no ticket office and the place looks deserted, but trains stop here. Be sure to check the timetable on the official website and don't be fooled by taxi drivers who will drive by you every two minutes and try to convince you that the only way to get anywhere is by taxi. They can be quite persistent. The train can be 15-20 minutes late (which I guess is on purpose), but it will arrive eventually. You can buy tickets on the train. It's 2,40 EUR per person to the Bar compared to the 50+ EUR you'll pay for a taxi. The train is pretty clean inside and the views are amazing. Hope this helps :)
(Ana Kozhenkova)
A wonderful, atmospheric train station where we won't learn anything, because there is neither timetable nor ticket office. It is the nearest train station, which can be reached from the airport in less than 30 minutes on foot. While waiting for the train, which likes to be late up to 30 minutes, we can admire the surrounding views, play with the homeless dogs, and even watch the sheep go out to pasture. The smell of urine coming from the cabin can make you hold up. From time to time, taxi drivers arrive who try at all costs to convince people that the train no longer goes this way. For a ride to the center of Podgorica, they ask for €10-20 divided between four people.
(Jakub Tomyślak)
I thought for a long time how many stars to give. Comparing it to Polish standards, I would give it one star. By Hindu standards - Friday. In the end, I give it four - including two for encouragement. Why? So for the train going at all; that it is very cheap (in season it is a ridiculous six zlotys for Bar/Sutomore); that it is a 15-minute walk from the airport (five minutes longer with suitcases); that he travels quite often (a dozen trips a day in both directions). What to improve? The platform needs to be extended (my advice: enter the car right behind the locomotive - otherwise you will have to jump from 1,5 meters into the bushes at many stops); a shed/roof must be raised, a legal track crossing must be made. Bonus for passengers: a cute turtle that lives in the stop zone :)
(Jan Kowalsky)
Bonus video:
