{"id":540494,"date":"2026-09-15T18:32:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T08:32:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=74298"},"modified":"2026-09-15T18:32:03","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T08:32:03","slug":"croatia-serbia-border-crossing-remains-a-major-bottleneck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=540494","title":{"rendered":"Croatia\u2013Serbia border crossing remains a major bottleneck"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tovarnik\u2013\u0160id, the main border crossing between Croatia and Serbia, remains a major operational bottleneck for international rail freight. The problem cannot be attributed to a single cause, but results from a combination of border and customs procedures, limited infrastructure capacity, operational inefficiencies and poor coordination between the two sides.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Infrastructure is an important part of the problem. The Zagreb\u2013Novska\u2013Vinkovci\u2013\u0160id route on the Croatian side remains partially a single-track railway with sub-standard infrastructure. While trains can travel on some sections at higher speeds (130 or 160 km\/h), most of the route is now subject to considerably lower speeds.<\/p>\n

Although freight trains are generally limited to 100 km\/h, the condition of the infrastructure and resulting speed restrictions reduce line capacity and increase travel times. The situation on the Serbian side between \u0160id and Belgrade is similarly constrained.<\/p>\n

The scale of the problem is illustrated by information from an industry source from an operator in Croatia. The average journey time for a freight train from Rijeka to \u0160id is around 70 hours, but often can reach 100, they stressed. Trains can be held for access to \u0160id station as far west as Karlovac and Hrvatski Leskovac, near Zagreb.<\/p>\n