July the 17th, 2026 – Momentum has arrived as two bids have been submitted for the major contract on the ambitious Croatian lowland railway project.
The commendable and extensive modernisation of the Croatian railway network has taken yet another promising step forward. As Poslovni reports, two bids have been successfully submitted for one of the country’s largest rail infrastructure contracts, part of the long-planned Croatian Lowland Railway project.
The procurement process concerns works on a key section of the future railway corridor linking Zagreb with the Port of Rijeka, a project regarded as one of Croatia’s most strategically important transport investments. Once completed, the upgraded line is expected to significantly improve freight and passenger rail services while strengthening Croatia’s role as a logistics gateway between Central Europe and the Adriatic.
According to state railway infrastructure company HŽ Infrastruktura, two consortia submitted offers before the tender deadline. The bids will now undergo a detailed evaluation to determine whether they meet the project’s technical and financial requirements before a contractor is selected.
The section covered by the tender forms part of the wider Lowland Railway programme, which aims to replace outdated infrastructure with a modern, double-track electrified railway capable of supporting faster passenger services and substantially increasing freight capacity.
The project is considered essential for improving connections between the Port of Rijeka and inland European markets. For years, transport experts have argued that faster and more efficient rail links are necessary if Croatia is to fully capitalise on Rijeka’s growing importance as a cargo port and compete more effectively with neighbouring transport corridors.
Much of the financing for Croatia’s railway modernisation programme is expected to come from European Union funding, with the Lowland Railway identified as one of the country’s priority infrastructure investments under the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
Although construction timelines will depend on the outcome of the procurement process, the submission of two bids marks another milestone for a project that has been discussed for decades but has progressed only gradually.
If everything does end up being completed as currently planned, the future Croatian Lowland Railway is expected to transform rail transport nationwide by reducing overall travel times, increasing freight capacity and improving the country’s integration into Europe’s wider transport network.
