National Development Strategy Croatia 2030: Roadmap for a Better Future

The low quality of Croatia’s railway service has widened the gap with rest of the EU, in particular 
with regard to passenger traffic.
At the moment, passenger traffic on the railways is negligible compared 
to the rest of Europe. This is especially the case with international rail passenger services, where there is a 
need to significantly upgrade both the networks and services between Croatia and its EU and Western 
Balkan neighbors, particularly to induce international travelers arriving into Croatia to use these services 
and decrease the pressure on the highways. 
59.
Croatia is still struggling with development of railway infrastructure along Trans-European Net-
work for Transport (TEN-T) corridors.
Despite significant EU funds available to help improve the com-
petitiveness of the railway sector, investment needs far exceed available resources and the implementation 
of projects is far too slow.
 
Consequently, the completion of the TEN-T
17
Core Rail Network is lagging 
expectations. According to the most recent EU Transport Scoreboard, Croatia has completed only 5 percent 
of the TEN-T Core Rail Network, which places Croatia among the lowest ranking countries, together with 
Romania and Estonia.
60.
The road sector dominates the market of passenger and goods transportation.
However,
while 
roads are convenient and efficient, they generate more greenhouse gases than other forms of 
transport. 
According to Eurostat data, the transport sector accounts for 35 percent of GHG emissions in 
Croatia, compared with the EU average of 25 percent. The negative impact on the environment is empha-
sized by the transport modes used in cities, where the population heavily relies on private cars. 
61.
Despite the excellence of the road network, the rate of accidents and fatalities is higher than the 
EU average. 
This is likely connected to the high average-age of the vehicles, mild penalties for risky 
driving, high number of black spots on the roads and insufficient effectiveness of traffic surveillance pro-
grams. Also, there is no road safety education program in place at schools which could help educate the 
population of new drivers.