Montenegro’s transport sector remains developmentally incomplete despite investment and progress in some areas, the Montenegro Chamber of Economy (PKCG) said in an analysis presented in its publication Montenegrin Economy 2006-2026. The chamber recommends connecting roads, railways, ports and airports as parts of an integrated system, arguing that transport constraints are holding back tourism, trade, freight and the wider economy.
The assessment covers the period from 2006 to 2026 and identifies road and air transport as the areas with the most progress. Rail and maritime transport, it says, have not been developed in line with their strategic importance. Insufficient links with the region and Europe, weak public transport, low-capacity road services and summer congestion are among the obstacles it lists.
A developed transport system is a prerequisite for growth in other economic sectors, according to the chamber. It says future planning should treat roads, railways, ports and airports as connected components rather than separate infrastructure projects. Investment should focus on connecting transport subsystems, not only on building individual facilities.
The chamber’s proposed model gives the Bar–Boljare highway, Port of Bar, railway and airports a shared logistics and development role. Better coordination could raise the economy’s competitiveness, reduce regional disparities and support more sustainable development, the analysis says. The recommendations place the railway and the port at the centre of efforts to expand freight and intermodal transport.
Road progress and rail constraints
Roads saw reconstruction of a significant number of main and regional routes over the past two decades. The biggest step was construction of the first section of the Bar–Boljare highway, intended to connect Montenegro’s coast, central region and north, and improve the country’s links to regional transport corridors.
The economic case for the highway depends on completion of its next sections, connection with Serbia and better use of the Port of Bar, the analysis says. Meanwhile, the number of passengers carried by road rose from 6.2 million in 2010 to 7.1 million last year. Growth in vehicle numbers was not matched by equivalent development in public transport, parking infrastructure or bypasses around urban and tourist centres.
Seasonal congestion is particularly pronounced on the Budva–Tivat–Kotor, Bar–Budva and Podgorica–coast routes, as well as around border crossings. In urban areas, especially Podgorica, increased reliance on private cars has added to congestion and pressure on public spaces. The chamber recommends modernising bus systems, introducing digital management of routes, better integrating suburban services and reducing dependence on private cars in cities and tourist centres.
Rail transport has not recorded a comparable advance. The chamber describes the system as underdeveloped, outdated and slow, with ageing infrastructure, low average speeds, insufficient investment and frequent technical restrictions limiting its competitiveness against road transport. Although some bridges, tunnels, tracks and signalling and safety equipment have been reconstructed, the railway has not become a freight carrier on a scale the analysis considers rational for a small coastal country with a port.
Passenger numbers were almost unchanged, at 755,000 in 2010 and 757,000 last year, while rail freight fell from 1.21 million tonnes to 1.02 million tonnes over the same period. PKCG calls for accelerated railway modernisation, particularly on the Bar–Podgorica–Bijelo Polje route. Without a competitive railway, Montenegro cannot develop strong freight and intermodal transport, it says.
Port and airport links remain underused
The Port of Bar has not fully realised its potential as a regional logistics hub, despite the strategic role of maritime transport, the analysis says. Its constraints include weak links to rail and road corridors, limited container traffic, competition from other Adriatic ports and a lack of a stronger logistics hinterland. The chamber says a stronger connection from Bar through Podgorica to the north, and onward to Serbia and central Europe, is needed for the port to realise its transit potential.
PKCG recommends expanding container traffic and storage capacity at the port, improving customs and logistics procedures, and strengthening links with the hinterland. Its proposed logistics chain combines the Port of Bar as an entry point, rail to carry freight inland and the highway to support faster road transport. The analysis says these assets need a joint function rather than being developed in isolation.
Air transport recorded the fastest growth among the transport subsectors, but the chamber says it is still not sufficiently developed to support the expansion of tourism and the broader economy. Total passenger traffic at Montenegro’s airports increased from 1.21 million in 2010 to 3.08 million last year, a rise of more than 150%. The growth largely came from seasonal, charter and low-cost flights, rather than an increase in scheduled services.
Other indicators show the limits of that growth. Airport freight traffic dropped from 2,159 tonnes in 2010 to 614 tonnes last year. Passengers on scheduled air services declined from 606,000 to 470,000, while passenger-kilometres on those services fell from 547.7 million to 285.7 million.
The sector also faces seasonality, limited terminal capacity, a need to modernise infrastructure, weak winter connections and dependence on commercial decisions by foreign airlines. Tivat Airport is heavily used in summer but much less utilised during winter months. PKCG recommends upgrading airport capacity, improving seasonal management and winter services, and strengthening connections between airports and tourist centres.
The chamber also calls for smart traffic management, electric vehicles in the public sector, digital logistics, electronic payments and better statistics, including real-time data. The recommendations follow the government’s decision this year to end the process for awarding long-term leases for both Montenegrin airports, seven years after the public call was issued. The government has not said how the state will develop the airport infrastructure following that decision.
