M202 railway (Croatia)

The Zagreb–Rijeka railway, officially designated as the M202 railway, is a 229-kilometre (142 mi) long railway line in Croatia connecting Zagreb and Rijeka.[maps 1] It is part of the Pan-European corridor V branch B, which runs from Rijeka to Budapest. It is electrified and single-tracked.[1]

Zagreb–Rijeka railway
Technical
Line length229 km (142.3 mi)
Track gauge1435 mm
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz AC
Operating speed140 km/h (87.0 mph) max.
Route map

424.4
Zagreb Glavni railway station
Miramarska Road
Savska Road
Vukovar Avenue
Savska Road
Sava river bridge
430.3
Remetinec
Sava-Odra canal bridge
435.2
Hrvatski Leskovac
441.9
Horvati
444.4
Mavračići
448.4
Zdenčina
451.9
Desinec
457.0
Jastrebarsko
460.1
Domagović
463.1
Lazina
467.5
Draganić
Kupa-Kupa canal bridge
L217 to Sisak
D1 and D3 state roads
L104 to Ozalj and Metlika
477.0
Karlovac
Kupa river bridge
478.5
Karlovac Centre
D3 and D6
483.1
Mrzlo Polje
488.3
Duga Resa
492.1
Belavići
497.9
Zvečaj
500.6
Gornji Zvečaj
505.6
Generalski Stol
509.5
Donje Dubrave
Globornica
516.1
Gornje Dubrave
520.1
Tounj
522.3
Kukača
523.9
Košare
527.3
Oštarije
M604 to Knin and Split
533.5
Ogulin
Dobra river bridge
539.9
Ogulinski Hreljin
Dobra river bridge
543.8
Ljubošina
547.9
Gomirje
Dobra river bridge
554.4
Vrbovsko
Dobra river bridge
Dobra river bridge
563.2
Moravice
570.4
Brod Moravice
573.9
Žrnovac
579.6
Skrad
583.1
Kupjak
586.5
Zalesina
592.4
Delnice
600.9
Lokve
607.2
Vrata
Ličanka river bridge
609.7
Fužine
613.2
Lič
616.8
Drivenik
621.0
Zlobin
625.9
Plase
628.8
Melnice
633.3
Meja
641.2
Škrljevo
M602 to Bakar
Bakar
650.3
Sušak Pećine
Brajdica tunnel
M603 to Brajdica
2.9
Rijeka Brajdica
Rječina river bridge
Rječina river bridge
Kalvarija tunnel
Rijeka Centre
L214 to Brajdica
653.2
Rijeka

There are several short branch lines connected to the M202 railway, including the 12,554-metre (41,188 ft) M602 railway ŠkrljevoBakar, 3,985-metre (13,074 ft) M603 railway Sušak-Pećine–Brajdica area of the Port of Rijeka, and the 1,853-metre (6,079 ft) L214 railway between Rijeka and Brajdica — all in the area of the city of Rijeka or its immediate surroundings.[2][3]

History

The line was first opened in 1865 between Zagreb and Karlovac, a branch of the Zidani most to Sisak line. The section to Rijeka was opened on 6 September 1873, and is notable for its steep descent towards the port city. Subsequently, in 1880, the line went from ownership of the Austrian Southern Railway Company to the Hungarian Government. After the First World War, the line entered ownership of the railways of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (from 1929, known as Yugoslavia). Rijeka stayed as a border station with the Ferrovie delle Stato up to 1945, when the whole line became part of the Yugoslav Railways. Since 1991, it is owned by the Croatian Railways.

Electrification

As early as 1936, the Italians electrified the Pivka-Rijeka line (not part of the current M202 railway) at the standard 3 kV DC voltage. After World War Two, the Yugoslav Railways considered the 3 kV DC electrification system to become the standard electrification system of the Yugoslav Railways, as it was already present in some parts of Croatia and Slovenia. As such, it became favoured in the 1950s and early 1960s, and electrification of the Zagreb-Rijeka line began:

  • 1953: Rijeka-Fužine
  • 1960: Fužine-Moravice
  • 1963: Moravice-Karlovac
  • 1970: Karlovac-Zagreb GK

However, in the later half of the 1960s, the Yugoslav Railways considered the 25 kV AC at 50 Hz system instead, which later became the national standard (the project was initially experimented in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1967 and 1969). At the same time when the electrification of the Zagreb-Rijeka line was completed, the Zagreb to Belgrade line was electrified too, at 25 kV AC. Thus, Zagreb became a multisystem station, for trains heading towards Rijeka and Ljubljana.

In the first half of the 1980s, the Yugoslav Railways considered the full conversion of the remaining 3 kV DC network (by then present in all of Slovenia and parts of West Croatia) into the national standard. Work began in 1984 and the following segments were converted:

  • 1985: Zagreb GK-Hrvatski Leskovac (alongside with line towards Dobova, Slovenia)
  • 1987: Hrvatski Leskovac-Moravice
  • 2012: Moravice-Rijeka

But by 1991, the Yugoslav Railways had run out of funds, and later on, with the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the line entered ownership of the newly-created Croatian Railways. For a long while, Moravice was a multisystem station, where former JŽ Class 362 locomotives would take over trains towards Rijeka, after being pulled by former JŽ Class 441 locomotives. Along the years, various proposals for the conversion of the network were done, including conversion of the Class 1061 locomotives to Class 1161 locomotives (these were 1061s with 25 kV AC systems, rebuilt at TŽV Janko Gredelj) but eventually, the plans didn't really materialize, as Slovenia insisted on keeping the 3 kV DC electrification, and lack of funds in early 1990s Yugoslavia and Croatia led to the 1161 project to be abandoned.

Finally, in December 2012, the rest of the line, from Moravice to Rijeka (and further onwards to the border with Slovenia) was fully converted to 25 kV AC. Now all electrified lines in Croatia use 25 kV AC electrification, although in some stations the Italian-style catenary is still visible. The last Class 1061 locomotives, along with Class 315 EMUs (a variant similar to the PKP EN57 multiple units) were withdrawn.

Reconstruction of the existing and construction of the second track on the Hrvatski Leskovac – Karlovac section (2022 – 2026)

Part of the corridor between Hrvatski Leskovac and Karlovac is currently under major reconstruction.

The project includes:

  • construction of the second track and reconstruction of the existing one on the entire railway line section in the length of 44,02 km (conversion of a single-track railway into a double-track)
  • conversion of 3 stations into stops (Horvati, Zdenčina, Draganić)
  • installation of a new electronic signaling and safety device and a new traffic management infrastructure subsystem with remote control of external elements
  • complete overhaul of the electrification system
  • reconstruction of the electrical substation (EVP Mrzlo Polje and Zdenčina)
  • construction of three new underpasses and four new overpasses with associated roads instead of railway-road crossings
  • construction of new arched roads in order to abolish the existing railway-road crossings
  • reconstruction of some existing level railway – road crossings
  • construction of noise protection walls
  • construction of a closed drainage system
  • reconstruction of all existing bridges, viaducts and other structures on the section of the section.
  • construction of access parking lots, replacement of the old passenger platforms with new, 55-cm high ones, reconstruction of the outdoor lighting system, installation of canopies and a system of video surveillance and visual and audio notification for passengers at stop locations
  • construction of new 55-cm high platforms (useful length at least 160 m), underpasses, canopies, parking lots, installation of a new outdoor lighting system and a system of video surveillance and visual and audio notification for passengers at all stations along the route (Hrvatski Leskovac, Jastrebarsko and Karlovac)

Completion of the project will permit trains to maintain a target speed of 160 km/h throughout most of the rail section.[4]

Maps

  1. Overview map of the Zagreb-Rijeka railway (Map). OpenStreetMap. Retrieved October 10, 2013.

References

  1. 2014 HŽ network statement Archived 2013-10-04 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Odluka o razvrstavanju željezničkih pruga" [Decision on Classification of Railways]. Narodne novine (in Croatian). Government of Croatia. 2006.
  3. "Karta pruga" [Railway map] (in Croatian). Croatian Railways. Archived from the original on 2013-10-17.
  4. "Works on the railway line on the section Hrvatski Leskovac-Karlovac". Povezanahrvatska. Retrieved 2023-03-07.

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