April the 24th, 2026 – An almost 300 million euro investment will modernise Croatian railways, dragging them into the 21st century at the speed of light… or should we say at the speed of 160 kmh.
As Sinisa Malus/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, HŽ Infrastruktura recently signed a contract with the Spanish company Comsa to carry out works on the reconstruction of the existing track and the construction of a second track on the 44-kilometre-long Hrvatski Leskovac-Karlovac section. The section is otherwise part of the Zagreb-Rijeka railway line.
The value of the contract stands at an enormous 278,849,960.28 euros plus VAT, and it is being co-financed by grants from the “Competitiveness and Cohesion” programme for the financial period 2021-2027. The deadline for the almost 300 million euro investment to modernise Croatian railways stands at the year 2029.
The expected completion date for the works is three years, i.e. by the end of 2029. The massive project’s goals are to increase the capacity of the line, and allow for train travel at speeds of up to 160 km/h, with all of the necessary traffic safety.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Oleg Butković stated that this is one of the largest investments in Croatian railway infrastructure and a significant step towards the modernisation and harmonisation of the entire country’s railway system with European interoperability standards.
“Railways are a sector that has been neglected for an extremely long time, but in this ten-year period, we’re planning to invest almost six billion euros in its renovation,” revealed Minister Butković. The President of the Management Board of HŽ Infrastruktura, Damir Lončarić, stated that the start of work is expected to kick off in the summer.
“The works include the complete reconstruction of the existing and the construction of a new track, electrification, signalling replacement, all new safety and telecommunications equipment, and the renovation of station buildings in Hrvatski Leskovac, Jastrebarski and Karlovac. All of the accompanying facilities such as overpasses and underpasses instead of railway-road crossings have already been constructed along the route.”
Comsa Contracting Director Pedro Miguel Rivero Moya said that by signing this contract, they are strengthening their presence in Croatia, where the company has been contributing to the modernisation of the railway network for more than a decade now.
“This project is a clear example of excellent cooperation and mutual trust. The reconstruction of the railway line and the construction of a new track on the Hrvatski Leskovac – Karlovac section will be the third railway project we’re implementing in Croatia. We believe that our acquired experience and the dedication of our employees will enable us to successfully overcome the challenges ahead,” assured Rivero Moya.
The most important result of this gigantic project is the increase in the competitiveness and potential in the Port of Rijeka. As a result of this huge cash injection, the Kvarner city port will be better connected by rail to Central European markets in terms of freight transport. This primarily concerns countries such as Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.
In addition, suburban passenger transport between Zagreb and Karlovac will also be significantly improved. After the completion of the works on the Hrvatski Leskovac-Karlovac railway line, the train journey from Karlovac to Zagreb should take about 20 minutes.
