Croatia to invest EUR 3.5 billion into railroads

Croatia has already put tens of billions of Kunas into road construction and the next in line are railroad tracks, Croatian Vecernji list daily writes noting that EUR 3. 5 billions will be invested in the railway system during the next ten years.

The first new railroad on Croatia over the last half century, Sveti Ivan Zabno-Gradec, was opened near the end of last year. The investment, worth KN 258 million (or EUR 34.6 million), is only a small part of the investment cycle started in the railway system, worth EUR 3.5 billion in total, the article reads.

The total length of rail network, managed by HZ Infrastruktura (Croatian Railways) is 2,617 km out of which 2,343 km are single-track railways and only 274 km are double-track railways.

According to HZI's data 980 km of rail network has been electrified but this could significantly change in the next ten years, mostly thanks to EU funds.

Therefore, Croatia should get up to 680 km of double-track railways and 1,022 km of electrified railways by 2030, the daily writes.

The projected speed for the new railways is 160 km per hour. Required length of freight trains for these tracks is 750 meter and 400 meters for passenger trains.

New railways will also be used by 40 new trains. Croatian railway company HZ Passenger Transport has so far arranged the procurement of 28 new trains with the maximum speed of 120 km/h.

This company plans to finance the purchase of the 21st coach with a KN 11,1 billion grant (around EUR 146,7 million) while the purchase of the other 19 trains will be funded with the World Bank and Eurofima loans, writes Vecernji list.

HŽ INFRASTRUKTURA d.o.o. Zagreb

HZ Infrastruktura

HZI

HZ Passenger Transport

Vecernji list

World Bank

Eurofima

Sveti Ivan Zabno Gredec railway

Nizinska railway

single-track railways

double-track railways

railway electrification

RH2 Corridor

RH 1 Corridor

Mediterranian Corridor

Dugo Selo Novska

railway

Zapresić Zabok railway

Vinkovci Vukovar railway