June the 11th, 2025 – After years of being the butt of slow train jokes, Croatia is set to invest billions in its railway system. 87 brand new trains will eventually be in operation across the country’s tracks.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Srdjan Hebar/VL writes, it seems that truly modern railways are the future of Croatia, and in the (kind of) near future at that. Over the decade to come, the plan is for the country to boast a railway network that will be the pride of the nation, just like its perfectly maintained and smooth motorways are today. Croatia is currently undergoing the greatest infrastructural leap in its recent history, and investments have never been greater. Croatia is set to invest billions of euros in its railway system, and the plan is for the future trains to run at speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour.
Večernji list recently organised a conference called “Connected Croatia: The Modernisation of Railways” at the Pullman Hotel in Zagreb. During that conference, those in the railway and train world, as well as leading experts from the transport, infrastructure, public administration and administration sectors presented and analysed the current state of affairs. They also delved more deeply into the key challenges Croatia faces in this regard, as well as ways to modernise this new railway renaissance.
croatia will invest billions in its railway system – and it’s a tool for regional development
“The generations to come will share the history of Croatia and talk about the railway the way we all talk now about the motorway. We connected the entire country with motorways, and now it’s time to return our attention to the railways. For almost half a century, there have been no major projects in Croatian railway transport, so this will be a new step forward. It’s important for this story to hold water. We can’t end up in a situation where we’ll need to patch it all up again in five or ten years. There can be no corrections, and the job needs to be carried out in the best possible way. The railways are Croatia’s future”, said Dražen Klarić, editor-in-chief of Večernji list.
Žarko Tušek, State Secretary at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, continued in the same direction. “The construction of Pelješac Bridge was huge in terms of road infrastructure. Air transport is also developing well, and it is time, quite logically, to return to the topic of basic infrastructure – railways. Railways in Croatia have some truly fantastic prospects, and we’re a privileged generation that has the opportunity to do historic things for Croatia. We’re doing things that will change this country and give people the standard they deserve. The investments that are currently underway, as well as those that lie ahead, are certainly historic. They’re also revolutionary,” said Tušek, alluding to the 1.5 billion euros that are currently invested in railway infrastructure, with the planned ones exceeding a staggering six billion euros.
the largest investment cycle in history
Jasna Divić, Director of the Directorate at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, presented an overview of the investments and modernisation plans made so far. “Investments like we’re witnessing haven’t happened since the railway was built, this is the largest investment cycle in history. Investments are being made in renovation, modernisation, infrastructure, maintenance, the procurement of new trains, and the proper development of services,” she revealed.
In order, this concerns the railway that goes to the Port of Rijeka, the railway to Zabok, the renovation of the Savski Marof – Zagreb – West Station (Zapadni kolodvor) section, the Zagreb – Kustošija section to the West and Main Stations (Glavni kolodvor), the upgrade of the Vukovar – Vinkovci railway. Then we’ve got Knin – Zadar, which is the youngest railway in the country, and hasn’t been in operation for years. It’s now being revitalised, and will be an advantage for both those living in the Dalmatian hinterland and for the Port of Zadar. The second route of the Dugo Selo – Križevci railway and Križevci – Koprivnica – national border railway are also now being reconstructed and built.
The largest construction site is currently the Križevci – Koprivnica – national border route. It spans 42 kilometres of railway, there are 40 facilities along it, and it’s truly an impressive project. The Dugo Selo – Novska and Hrvatski Leskovac – Karlovac sections are also now being planned. The focus also lies on the lowland railway from Karlovac to Rijeka, a new railway that shortens the existing route by 56 kilometres. This would firmly position the Port of Rijeka on the European transport logistics scene. Passenger train speeds would be up to 160 kilometres per hour.
a huge improvement for quality of life
The goal of Croatia being set to invest billions in its railway system is for it to become a key tool for regional development and EU integration. The hope is also for the Croatian transport of the future to be modern, faster and more contemporary than ever before. Every kilometre of railway, every new train and new station greatly affects people’s quality of life, according to transport experts. It’s therefore necessary to find a way to speed up the implementation of these gargantuan projects because everything has remained stagnant for 50 years. Ivan Kršić, President of the Management Board of HŽ Infrastruktura (Infrastructure), warned that local railways have been deteriorating for many years at this point.
“We’ve initiated the reconstruction of both regional and local railways. It’s important to invest in the main routes, the RH 1 and RH 2 corridors, as well as to properly modernise local railway lines. Currently, there’s almost no section of railway in the entire country with no modernisation activity going on. I’m optimistic, proper investments in railways have started and I’m sure that within a decade, we’ll have a modern railway!”, said Kršić.
a(nother) shortage of experts
Damir Šoštarić, Director of the Directorate at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, explained the issues on the ground. “We can’t just dig up the whole of Croatia and start building all the sections at once,” Šoštarić pointed out. The problem is knowledge. “There’s a chronic shortage of highly educated experts. Croatian civil engineers rarely choose the railway sector as a sector of focus and mostly turn their attention to the road sector.
The existing staff is overloaded, many give up and go abroad where they’re quite well accepted. We need to work on making sure we have the staff. We’re lacking machinists, electrical engineers, traffic controllers, construction workers, and young people interested in working on the railway. We can build the best railway on Earth, but if we don’t invest in it, if we don’t maintain the systems, if we don’t have people to take care of it, we won’t do much and it will be difficult to compete with road transport,” said Maja Ahac, associate professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering.
“It’s challenging to coordinate financial resources for complex projects such as railway reconstruction. That said, Croatia does it really successfully and makes excellent use of loans that allow for the combining of various funds. In addition, the country has managed to be included in four transport corridors of the trans-European transport network. It therefore also has access to greater financing because parts of the country, such as Dalmatia or Slavonia, are strategically important for the EU. So far, Croatia has shown some excellent results, and it has used EU funds not only for reconstruction, but for the transformation of the railways. This is an excellent example set for other countries,” said Slađana Ćosić, Head of the EIB in Croatia.
comfort and affordability
Croatia being willing to invest billions in its railway system has already been firmly evidenced. The brand new, ultra-modern trains arriving on the new and renovated lines have been developed and manufactured right here in Croatia. They’re all electric and battery-powered, and they provide the greatest possible comfort. Dizzying speeds compared to those we’ve become so used to will be the norm, as bicycle spaces, plug sockets, internet, video surveillance, satellite monitoring systems and more. On top of that, these new trains are both energy and environmentally sustainable.
Over the past decade, 65 new trains have been purchased, 37 of which in the last four years. Another 70 new trains are expected by the end of the year. Following them, another 19 new ones will be delivered. By the end of 2028, 89 new trains will be on Croatia’s tracks. That means that 70 percent of the country’s rolling stock will have been fully renewed. In addition to being environmentally friendly and modern, Croatia and its desire to invest billions in its railway system has a main goal of making train travel both comfortable and affordable to the public once again.
