October the 3rd, 2026 – The recently announced and sighed railway mega-project has a high chance of positioning Croatia as an important transit hub.
The future Adriatic-Ionian railway corridor would bring many benefits, and its importance is also recognised by the European Commission. Europe must be better connected, that’s the premise that guided the signatories of the initiative “Adriatic-Ionian Railway Corridor. Transport Connectivity is deemed to be the Foundation of Development and Resilience”, and finalising the documents, the first step has been taken towards a future railway corridor that will connect Italy, Slovenia and Croatia with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and Greece. Katarina Kusec reports for Poslovni that Croatia could benefit greatly in this story, as the new corridor would specifically link Trieste, Koper, Rijeka, Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Ploče, Bar, Durrës and Greek centres along the Adriatic-Ionian route.
better connectivity for all
The initiative was signed on Friday by Member of the European Parliament and member of the Committee on Transport and Tourism Nikolina Brnjac, Zadar County Prefect Josip Bilaver, representatives of the coastal counties, and State Secretary in the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure Žarko Tušek. The aim of the initiative, it was said at the conference, is to better connect Croatia by rail with neighbouring countries and the rest of the Adriatic-Ionian region and to encourage joint investments in transport infrastructure, Hina reports.
“I don’t even need to say how important this is for the railway connection of Ploče, the Port of Ploče, with the ports of Split, Zadar, Šibenik and Rijeka. At the same time, for the first time it would enable the railway connection and financing of Istria County, Kvarner and Dalmatia with the rest of Croatia and with the European network,” said Brnjac, emphasising that the next step is a meeting with stakeholders from the governments of the countries through which the route would pass. The initiative will, she said, also influence the reconstruction of existing railway corridors as well as the construction of new lines. Tušek noted that without a modern railway there can be no strengthening of logistics capacities and position in the TEN-T network. He also highlighted the need to integrate the Istrian railways into the complete Croatian network, adding that study documentation for the Učka railway tunnel is currently being prepared. In this regard, he also announced that next year a tender will be issued for the Učka project, that is, the lowland railway project and the connection of Rijeka to that lowland railway.
financing the future adriatic-ionion corridor
Returning to the Adriatic-Ionian corridor, the question of its financing also needs to be raised. Brnjac said that 81 billion euros of EU money is currently available until the next financial framework, of which 35 billion for transport, 30 for energy and 17.5 for military mobility, and that is why this initiative was launched, working on opening the regulation of the Trans-European Transport Network.
“When the regulation tender is opened, then the Adriatic-Ionian corridor would become an integral corridor and then we can have funds for further financing,” she stressed, noting that the only known deadline is that a large conference on this topic will be organised in the European Parliament at the beginning of next year. More specifically speaking, the final conference is planned in Brussels, when the initiative will be handed over to European Commission Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas, who, she said, has recognised the importance of this initiative.
All the signatories are aware of the importance of the said corridor for Croatia both in terms of connectivity and tourism, so HŽ Infrastruktura Management Board President Damir Lončarić emphasised that the Adriatic-Ionian railway corridor is a strategic issue for the state. “HŽ Infrastruktura is ready to make a full contribution in terms of expert and operational support for this project,” Lončarić added. The sheer importance of this massive project is further heightened by the security and geopolitical circumstances in Europe, as the war in Ukraine has shown how important alternative and reliable transport routes are for the economy, energy and military mobility. In addition, a more modern railway would enable faster freight transport, relieve road traffic and stronger inclusion of Croatian ports in the international chain.
