CROATIA: HŽ Infrastruktura has awarded Spanish contractor Cosma a €279m contract to rebuild, double-track and electrify the 44 km Hrvatski Leskovac – Karlovac section of the Zagreb – Rijeka line to boost freight and passenger capacity on the TEN-T core network route between the Port of Rijeka and Central Europe.
The contract signed on 17 April covers a full reconstruction of the existing section of line including the provision of a second track, electrification, renewal of signalling, safety and telecoms systems, new bridges and viaducts and upgrades to the stations at Hrvatski Leskovac on the southern outskirts of Zagreb, Jastrebarsko further southwest and in Karlovac.
Once completed, the upgraded line is expected to support operating speeds of up to 160 km/h.
Part of wider rail investment push
‘This is one of the largest investments in Croatian railway infrastructure and a significant step towards the modernisation and harmonisation of the railway system of Croatia with European interoperability standards’, said Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butković.
He said modernisation of the line is strategically important for Croatia not only for freight traffic and the development of the Port of Rijeka, but also in the wider geopolitical context including strengthening the country’s position on trans-European transport corridors.
Croatia plans to invest part of the nearly €6bn earmarked for railway reconstruction over the next decade in the project, which is also being co-financed through the EU’s Competitiveness & Cohesion Programme for 2021–27. Construction is expected to begin in the summer, with completion scheduled within three years.