Croatian Transport and Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butkovic has so far signed contracts for 58 projects worth a total of 12.7 billion kuna (EUR 1.7 billion), funded with European funds. The amount paid to each transport segment was not specified.
We remind that in August 2017, Croatia adopted the National Transport Development Strategy. Thus, by 2030, the Croatian State aims to ensure a sustainable, profitable and secure transport, a real engine for economic development and Croatia’s economic integration into the European Union through international transport corridors.
But minister Butkovic said that the rail sector was one of the biggest challenges when setting this strategy and its restructuring would be a far greater obstacle than the restructuring of the road transport sector. In this respect, the Croatian Minister added that by the end of 2018, a sector policy letter will be prepared. It will also focus on identifying a strategic partner for HZ Cargo.
Further, Minister Oleg Butkovic stressed that investments in railway infrastructure are crucial to the sustainability and competitiveness of the sector. One of the most important railway infrastructure projects is Zagreb-Rijeka line, which will cross the low lying area.
Croatia will try to convince the European Union that this is the key project at national level after the construction of the Pelješac railway bridge. Its construction was halted in 2012, amid financial difficulties, but will be resumed in June 2018, and the bridge will be completed by the end of 2022.
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