Croatia - General Information

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Country Name

Croatia (Hrvatska)

National railway system

Hrvatske Željeznice

Official Website

www.hznet.hr

Language

Croatian.

Currency

Kuna

UIC code

numeric 78; alpha HR

Timetable

Journey Planner

www.hznet.hr/voznired

Downloadable Timetable

Downloadable timetable leaflets are available on the official HŽ website for International Trains, Domestic Trains and Local Trains.

Printed Timetable

Vozni Red, published annually. This includes introductory material in German. Presentation is straightforward, with use of standard symbols.

Engineering Information

Not known.

Maps

Timetable Map

A fold-out route diagram shows principal stations.

Infrastructure

See the HŽ Network Statement

Other Maps

There is no published map of Croatian railways, except that in M.G. Ball's "European Railway Atlas".

Gauge

Standard.

Electrification

25 kV 50 Hz. Moravice to Šapjane via Rijeka is 3 kV dc, but the section from Moravice to Rijeka is undergoing conversion from 3 kV dc to 25 kV 50 Hz.

Rule of the road

Right.

Private railways

None.

Tourist lines

None.

Metro

None.

Trams

Osijek, Zagreb.

Recent and future changes

The following changes were made in the 2010/2011 Timetable:

  • 32 Bizovac - Belišće: this table has disappeared completely and journey planner requests do not identify any services. This line appears to have now closed to passengers, having been threatened early in 2010.
  • 42 Partial reopening: 2 train pairs from Osijek travel 3 km to Našice grad for onward buses to Pleternica. All other service are provided by buses from the junction station at Našice.
  • 71 Knin - Zadar, which had been under threat of closure, has been reduced from five to three pairs a day.
  • 90 Lupoglav - Buzet, which had been under threat of closure, remains in operation but the cross-border service to Slovenia is reduced to 1 summer-only train each way.

It had been widely reported that all Croatia - Hungary cross-border lines would lose their local passenger services. Even though no timings are shown in the downloadable timetables, a separate website link confirms that these all continue to operate.

It was reported early in 2010 that HŽ planned to withdraw over 200 passenger trains resulting in a number of lines having no service at weekends. The Croatian Ministry of Transport rejected that list but in doing so announced "temporary closures" with immediate effect due to track defects, resulting in bus substitutions. Therefore on 17 May 2010 the following sections lost all train services:

  • 41 part: Sirač- Pčelić
  • 42 part: Pleternica - Našice
  • Knin - Licko Dugo Polje, on the line to Bihac, where passenger services had been suspended ever since the civil war, lost its remaining freight traffic.

It has been announced that the line from Strizivojna-Vrpolje to Osijek is to be electrified and expresses between Zagreb and Osijek will run that way, instead of via Koprivnica.

The following routes were reinstated in the 2008/2009 timetable (the first two were casualties of the 1990s Croatian war of independence):

  • Vukovar-Borovo Naselje - Vukovar [but only one train per day each way]
  • Vinkovci - Osijek direct
  • Savski Marof to Harmica (trains between Savski Marof and Kumrovec via Harmica were replaced by buses, due to poor track condition, in 2001)
  • Ogulin avoiding line (after a gap of some years, again used by fast services between Zagreb and Split)

Track has been lifted from the war-damaged line from Karlovac to Sisak, but passenger services have been introduced over two lines that were freight-only under JŽ:

  • Bjelovar to Kloštar and
  • Bizovac to Belišće (though the latter appears to have closed since it does not appear in the 2010-2011 timetable PDFs.

The line from Erdut to Bogojevo (Serbia) reopened to freight traffic on 8 August 2008 following rebuilding of the river bridge damaged by bombing in 1999.

Cross-border services to Bosnia-Hercegovina resumed in 2001/2002 between Volinja and Dobrljin, between Slavonski Šamac and Bosanski Šamac and between Drenovci and Brčko via Gunja ( though Brčko to Gunja appeasr to have closed to passenger since it does not appear in the 2010-2011 timetable PDFs). It was reported that the line between Knin and Bihac opened early in 2001, but no passenger service has been advertised yet.

Cross-border services to Lendava, Sveti Rok ob Sotli and Imeno, all in Slovenia, have all been withdrawn, though Lendava still sees freight traffic.

Special notes

Under no circumstances should disused railway lines or installations be explored, because they may not have been cleared of mines.

The Buzet to Pula line is accessible by rail only via Slovenia. A bus service, on which rail tickets are accepted, runs between Rijeka and Lupoglav and is the preferred route from Zagreb to Pula. An international ticket, at a higher fare, is required for travel on a through train via Ljubljana and passengers are subject to passport and customs checks at both border crossings.

See also