Croatia has launched the modernisation and reconstruction of the Kloštar – Koprivnica – Varaždin railway, totalling EUR 190 million, co-financed with a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The announcement was made by the Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Oleg Butković, during a working visit alongside representatives of HŽ Infrastruktura, at Varaždin railway station on 24th March 2025, where track replacement work began.

The renewal of the line is part of a large project to reconstruct a section of the railway line, totalling 90 km in length, which includes the 74.7 km Kloštar – Koprivnica – Varaždin section and the 11.8 km Varaždin – Čakovec section.

The project involves the reconstruction of the lower and upper structures of the railway, the renovation of developed areas, the modernisation of existing platforms at the stations, and the replacement of railway-road crossings.

The Prefect of Varaždin County, Anđelko Stričak, stated that HŽ Infrastruktura has now joined the growing investments from state-owned companies in Varaždin County.

Once completed, the regional line will allow trains to run at speeds of up to 120 km/h, up from the current 80 km/h, significantly reducing travel time from Kloštar to Varaždin. The reconstructed line will shorten the journey from Varaždin to Zagreb to about one hour, and there will be no need to change trains in Koprivnica.

“We are now touring the works on the railway reconstruction project from Kloštar via Koprivnica, Ludbreg, Varaždin to Čakovec, with a total value of EUR 190 million. This project will enable a shorter train journey from Varaždin to Ludbreg, to Koprivnica, and then to Zagreb,” emphasised Prefect Stričak.

In February 2025, HŽ Infrastruktura awarded Swietelsky a EUR 189 million contract to reconstruct the Kloštar – Čakovec rail section expected to be completed in 2028.

This month, the County Assembly adopted an amendment to the Spatial Plan of Varaždin County, which included the route for the high-speed railway, the so-called Lepoglava Junction, in the spatial planning documentation. The amendment also provided for the potential construction of an additional industrial track in Brezje, along the Zaprešić – Čakovec railway, for loading and unloading goods for the economy, especially container goods.

The President of the Management Board of the country’s rail infrastructure manager, HŽ Infrastruktura, Ivan Kršić, said that the Austrian company chosen to carry out the work had proven to be reliable, and they were confident that the project would be completed on time.

“We will be announcing a tender for conceptual designs for the modernisation of the railway from Zabok to Varaždin in the coming days, and we have not abandoned the Lepoglava Junction project either. We have prepared the study documentation, which has been temporarily put aside because we want to focus first on solving all the main corridors and regional railways, after which we will proceed with that as well,” said Kršić.

Croatia has launched a EUR 1.5 billion investment for the reconstruction and construction of railway infrastructure as part of its transport infrastructure investment programme.

“A large project is being developed in the immediate vicinity; it is a project on the Mediterranean Corridor – Križevci – Koprivnica – Hungarian border, which is set to be completed by the end of the year. The renovation of this regional railway, which will take approximately 40 months, will enable Varaždin to be part of the corridor as soon as possible. In that sense, it is a truly significant project, as well as the largest investment section when it comes to regional and local railways,” said the Minister. He added that, in parallel with the renovation and construction of the railways, new trains are also being purchased, with one or two new trains arriving each month, ensuring the continued modernisation of the rolling stock.

Recently HŽ Infrastruktura launched a EUR 620 million tender for the construction of the second track and modernisation of the existing track between Dugo Selo and Novska part of the RH1 corridor. This contract will be co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility and Competitiveness and Cohesion Programme.