High-speed rail in Croatia

There is no high-speed rail network in Croatia as of November 2025. As part of the European Commission's High-Speed Rail Action Plan, Zagreb should be connected to Budapest by 2040.[1]

Zagreb–Rijeka lowland railway

With the highway construction programme in its final stages, the Croatian Parliament passed a bill to build the country's first high-speed rail line between Botovo, Zagreb, and Rijeka.[2][3] The estimated 9.2 billion kuna ($1.6bn) project would have modernized the existing Botovo–Zagreb line and constructed a new line between Zagreb and Rijeka. While the line would ultimately have had a maximum speed of 250 kilometres per hour (160 mph), it would have initially been limited to 200 km/h (120 mph) due to limitations of the signaling system. Beginning of construction was planned for 2007 with a deadline of 5 to 6 years.[3] The project was cancelled by the government in 2012.[4][5]

In September 2025, the Zagreb–Rijeka lowland railway was deemed acceptable by an environmental impact assessment. As part of that project, two lines supporting 160 km/h speeds totaling 111 km are planned for construction. The entire project should be finished by 2036.[6] This project is sometimes referred to as "high-efficiency"[7] or "high-speed"[8] railway.

Possible expansion

The Pan-European Corridor X, running from the Slovenian border, through Zagreb, to Serbian border is a likely future candidate for the high-speed extension to this line. It is the most modern Croatian line, capable of 160 km/h (100 mph), fully electrified, and connects most branch lines in Croatia, the Croatian cities of Slavonski Brod and Vinkovci, and the Pan-European Corridor Vc towards Osijek and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

References

  1. ^ "EC unveils High-Speed Rail Action Plan, Croatia to be linked to 4 transport corridors". Zagreb: Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies. Hina. 6 November 2025.
  2. ^ "Croatia constructing Zagreb-Rijeka Adriatic express line". Wieninternational.at. 29 March 2007. Archived from the original on 23 August 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
  3. ^ a b "Railway line in the V B corridor". Transport. Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure. 25 January 2007. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  4. ^ Cota, Petar (1 March 2013). "Zašto nizinska pruga Zagreb - Rijeka nije isplativa?" [Why the lowland railway Zagreb–Rijeka isn't profitable?]. tportal.hr (in Croatian). Hrvatski Telekom.
  5. ^ "Gov't gives up on Zagreb-Rijeka lowland railway project" (Press release). Zagreb: Government of the Republic of Croatia . Hina. 6 December 2012. Archived from the original on 14 January 2025.
  6. ^ Knežević, Antonija (23 September 2025). "Nizinska pruga Zagreb – Rijeka dobila zeleno svjetlo za gradnju" [Zagreb–Rijeka lowland railway gets green light for construction]. Lider media (in Croatian).
  7. ^ "High-Efficiency Railway Line Botovo - Rijeka". Ongoing projects. City of Rijeka. Archived from the original on 14 November 2025. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  8. ^ Stilin, Forrest (1 January 2020). "Croatian Railways Building 400 Kilometers of High Speed Track". Total Croatia News. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023.
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