The Lowland Railway Zagreb – Rijeka, a key railway infrastructure project in Croatia, received crucial green light in September 2025. For the first time, the entire route has been declared acceptable from an environmental protection perspective. The decision on acceptability was issued on September 16 for the section Skradnik – Krasica – Tijani, while an identical decision was granted in May for the section Karlovac – Oštarije/Skradnik.
This paves the way for accelerating the design and commencement of the railway, which experts refer to as the “project of the century.” Multi-million contracts have been signed just for the development of the conceptual design and obtaining location permits. The section Karlovac – Oštarije/Skradnik is covered by a contract worth approximately €1.5 million, while the documentation for Skradnik – Krasica – Tijani is contracted for over €3 million. The work is being carried out by Granova, ŽPD, BBD – Bridge&Building Design, Mobilita vision, and Geotechnical Studio, with completion deadlines for the mentioned sections of the railway set for February and November 2026, respectively.
The new railway will be 111 kilometers long: 39.1 km on the Karlovac-Oštarije/Skradnik section and 72.2 km on the Skradnik-Krasica-Tijani section. The construction will shorten the journey from Zagreb to Rijeka by 56 kilometers, and Croatia will gain a modern double-track railway for mixed traffic, designed for speeds of up to 160 km/h.
The ambitious plan includes five new stations and one stop, as well as 17 viaducts with a total length of 10 kilometers and as many as 14 tunnels totaling 57 kilometers. The most impressive among them will be the Kapela 1 tunnel (10 km) and the Kapela 2 tunnel (15 km), which will penetrate the massifs of Velika and Mala Kapela.
The Lowland Railway Zagreb – Rijeka is expected to be completed by 2036 at the latest, and its completion is crucial for the further development of the Port of Rijeka. According to the basic model, by 2040, the port could generate around €2.5 billion in economic impact, while in an optimistic scenario, with the completion of the railway as early as 2032, this amount could rise to €3.3 billion, creating approximately 8,600 new jobs. If the railway is not completed by 2035, the impact would be significantly more modest, around €1.72 billion.
