High-speed rail in Croatia
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There is no high-speed rail network in Croatia as of November 2025[update]. As part of the European Commission's High-Speed Rail Action Plan, Zagreb should be connected to Budapest by 2040.[1]
Zagreb–Rijeka lowland railway
With the highway construction programme in its final stages, the Croatian Parliament passed a bill to build the country's first high-speed rail line between Botovo, Zagreb, and Rijeka.[2][3] The estimated 9.2 billion kuna ($1.6bn) project would have modernized the existing Botovo–Zagreb line and constructed a new line between Zagreb and Rijeka. While the line would ultimately have had a maximum speed of 250 kilometres per hour (160 mph), it would have initially been limited to 200 km/h (120 mph) due to limitations of the signaling system. Beginning of construction was planned for 2007 with a deadline of 5 to 6 years.[3] The project was cancelled by the government in 2012.[4][5]
In September 2025, the Zagreb–Rijeka lowland railway was deemed acceptable by an environmental impact assessment. As part of that project, two lines supporting 160 km/h speeds totaling 111 km are planned for construction. The entire project should be finished by 2036.[6] This project is sometimes referred to as "high-efficiency"[7] or "high-speed"[8] railway.
Possible expansion
The Pan-European Corridor X, running from the Slovenian border, through Zagreb, to Serbian border is a likely future candidate for the high-speed extension to this line.[9] It is the most modern Croatian line, capable of 160 km/h (100 mph), fully electrified, and connects most branch lines in Croatia, the Croatian cities of Slavonski Brod and Vinkovci, and the Pan-European Corridor Vc towards Osijek and Bosnia and Herzegovina.