| Croatian Railways | |
| Trade Name: | Croatian: Hrvatske željeznice|italic=no (Croatian Railway); HŽ |
| Type: | Government-owned |
| Foundation: | 1991 |
| Defunct: | 2006 |
| Location City: | Zagreb |
| Location Country: | Croatia |
| Industry: | Rail Transport |
| Products: | Rail Transport, Rail Construction, Services |
| Parent: | Croatian Government |
Croatian Railways (Croatian: Hrvatske željeznice; abbreviated as HŽ) was the national railway company of Croatia.[1] It was a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Croatia is 78. The Croatian rail network carried 24.230 million passengers in 2023.[2] [3] [4]
Croatian Railways was founded in 1991 from the former JŽ ("Yugoslav Railways") Zagreb Division, following Croatia's secession from Yugoslavia. Its vehicle fleet was initially the one found at the time of the breakup of Yugoslavia. It has been modernized over time, and further modernization is currently being carried out. The first railway section on the territory of today's Republic of Croatia, then part of the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, was built in 1860 in Međimurje: the railway line from Nagykanizsa in Hungary via Čakovec and Kotoriba continued to Pragerski in Slovenia. It is worth noting that this railway - although only a small part of it passed through Croatian territory (Međimurje was part of Croatia at the time the railway was built, but in January 1861, it was annexed to Hungary by the decision of Vienna) was built only 35 years after the first European railway, which was established in 1825 between the towns of Stockton and Darlington in England.[5] Railroads that connected Rijeka, the most important port in Croatia, with Trieste (and further with Vienna), and with Zagreb (and further with Budapest) were put into service in 1873.[6]
The company ceased to exist in 2006 and its assets were taken over by the newly founded company HŽ Hrvatske Željeznice Holding d.o.o., the operation was then provided by the holding's four subsidiaries for infrastructure management (HŽ Infrastruktura), passenger transport operation (HŽ Putnički prijevoz), freight transport operation (HŽ Cargo) and traction/locomotives (HŽ Vuča vlakova, from).[7]
In accordance EU Directive 91/440.[8] requiring EU member states to separate "the management of railway operation and infrastructure from the provision of railway transport services, on 1 November 2012 the holding was ceased to exist, the three opúerational companies became completely independent:
From the same date HŽ Vuča vlakova was incorporated into HŽ Cargo.[9]
See main article: List of railway lines in Croatia.
The original decision in former Yugoslavia was to use 3 kV DC electrification for the railway network. This was performed on the Rijeka–Zagreb line, which due to the mountainous Gorski kotar region had a need for more powerful trains than the traditional diesel powered ones.
Beginning with the modernisation of the Zagreb–Belgrade railway line an electrification system of 25 kV/50 Hz was used. Electrification on other lines in Croatia was then made exclusively 25 kV/50 Hz. Later, the majority of the Zagreb - Rijeka line was re-electrified to 25 kV/50 Hz, but until December 2012 there was still a part that under 3 kV DC. Consequentially a power system break existed at Moravice. HŽ was considering the purchase of dual-voltage locomotives, as an alternative to full re-electrification of 3 kV DC tracks, but the idea was scrapped for good as all electrified railways in Croatia are now using 25 kV/50 Hz.
All railway power systems in Croatia are exclusively of type overhead catenary.
See main article: Rolling stock of the Croatian Railways.
The maximum permitted speed of trains on the tracks in Croatia is 160 km/h. As far as the infrastructure is concerned, the specified speed can currently be achieved on part of the international corridor Novska - Tovarnik, more precisely on the relatively short sections Novska-Okučani and Vinkovci-Tovarnik.The current rail speed record in Croatia is 185 km/h. The record was set on the line between Novska and Nova Gradiška. The run was performed in order to demonstrate the possibilities offered by the Rade Končar built JŽ 442 electric locomotive class (now HŽ1142 train class).