Contract Signed for the Construction and Reconstruction of the Dugo Selo – Križevci Railway

The contract for the construction and reconstruction of the Dugo Selo – Križevci railway, worth 1.24 billion kuna, was signed today at the headquarters of HŽ Infrastrukture. The project is co-financed with 85 percent of funds from EU sources, and in the presence of high government officials and a large number of guests and journalists, the contract was signed by the CEO of HŽ Infrastrukture Renata Suša with representatives of the domestic consortium Tomislav Debeljak (DIV), Alen Premužak (Dalekovod), Alen Čović (Zagreb-Montaža).

At the same time, a contract was signed with Damir Stipanović on behalf of the consortium of bidders consisting of SGS Adriatica and Investinženjering, for the supervision of the works. This contract is worth 14.4 million kuna.

The ceremony was attended by the First Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Karamarko, Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković, and Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds Tomislav Tolušić, as well as the Head of the European Commission Representation in Croatia Branko Baričević. First Deputy Prime Minister Karamarko stated that this is a great day for Croatia and that everything must be done to ensure that future projects do not wait seven and a half years, as this one did. Much was discussed at the ceremony about the inconsistent legal regulations that greatly complicated the implementation of the project, and Karamarko noted in this regard that there is much work ahead for this government.

Minister Tolušić was particularly critical in this regard, highlighting not only objective circumstances but also some of our weaknesses, such as poor communication, which slowed down the entire process, while Minister Butković mentioned that the start of construction and reconstruction of this railway is actually the beginning of the lowland railway project.

CEO Suša took the opportunity to highlight how many problems were identified while working on this project, primarily in legal regulations, but she also emphasized the great effort of the people who worked on the project and created a new value that only the railway can achieve.

The Head of the EC Representation Baričević stated that Croatia has the opportunity to withdraw a total of 900 million euros from EU funds for the development of railway infrastructure by 2020, while Minister Tolušić said that we must already work on ensuring that Croatia can withdraw several billion euros from these funds in the period from 2020 to 2027.

It was assessed that this is a great opportunity for the struggling Croatian construction industry, but also for the members of the consortium who will gain quality references from this job. The construction and reconstruction of the Dugo Selo – Križevci railway will begin in May and is expected to be completed in February 2020. The railway is 38.2 kilometers long and is designed for a speed of 160 kilometers per hour, with a load capacity of 25 tons per axle.