The future railway line between Croatia’s biggest port in Rijeka and the country’s capital Zagreb, is one step closer to realisation. The last environmental approval, concerning the Skradnik–Krasica–Tijani section, was recently approved, paving the way for the next actions.
The creation of a new axis between Zagreb and Rijeka, called Lowland Railway entails the construction of a double-track line between Karlovac and Tijani, for 111 kilometres in total. This project is itself divided into two sub-sections: Karlovac – Oštarije/Skradnik and Skradnik–Krasica–Tijani. The environmental permit for the former was obtained in May, the Croatian infrastructure manager HZ Infrastruktura said.
The project for the design of the first section will be ready by November 2026, while for the second one is February 2026. The completion of the project is expected for 2036. The plan includes the construction of a rail depot, five stations, 17 viaducts and 14 tunnels. Once finished, the journey between Rijeka and Zagreb will be reduced by 56 kilometres, HZ Infrastruktura added.
Rail freight developments in Croatia
The future infrastructure will have a positive impact on rail freight to and from the port of Rijeka. Here, Maersk’s subsidiary APM Terminals recently inaugurated the Rijeka Gateway, a new multimodal facility with an annual throughput capacity of over one million TEUs.
Other than developing the infrastructure to and from Rijeka, Croatia is also carrying out projects to boost international rail services. One example is the upgrade line from Križevci to the Hungarian border, which will allow the passage of 30 daily trains compared to the current six.