National Development Strategy Croatia 2030: Roadmap for a Better Future

While Croatia has invested heavily in its transport infrastructure, it would benefit from further 
strengthening the integration of its transport networks into the international flows of goods and pas-
sengers and to increase its ability to satisfy the new needs of the European and global transport 

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Croatia 2030: Roadmap for a Better Future
29 
market. 
The transport sector can support Croatia’s economic development by further leveraging the coun-
try’s advantageous geographical position. 
56.
Croatia’s transport system is highly unbalanced in terms of the competitiveness of various modes 
of transport.
Croatia has a high-quality road network, ranked 29
th
out of 140 countries in the WEF’s Global 
Competitiveness Report for 2018. In contrast, the quality of its railways network was ranked 90
th
, and the 
quality of its air transport was 58
th
out of 140 countries. Such outcomes reflect the very significant invest-
ments made in highways in the 2000s, as well as the equally significant underinvestment in other modes 
of transport, especially in railways. 
57.
According to the EU Transport Scoreboard 2018, Croatia ranks last for the efficiency of service 
in the railway sector, lagging around 40 percent behind the EU average.
This is mainly connected 
with: (i) outdated infrastructure with average age of railway tracks of 27.2 years and insufficient investment 
in renewing railway infrastructure; (ii) severe maintenance backlog which has resulted in speed restrictions; 
(iii) high share of single-track railways (90 percent); (iv) low level of productivity of state railway compa-
nies; (v) gaps in railway sector governance that affect both public companies and private operators alike. 
Key underlying factors for such situation is a continuous underfunding of railway investment combined 
with difficulties in modernizing the governance of publicly owned railway companies.
58.