CROATIAN Railways has expressed interest in purchasing a fleet of five tilting trainsets to improve journey times on its inter-city routes from Zagreb to Split and Rijeka. HZ is currently looking for sources of finance for the investment.
In co-operation with the commercial arm of the Spanish embassy in Zagreb, Renfe’s international department and Patentes Talgo, HZ arranged to test a Talgo Pendular set for several days at the end of May. Before the trials, Talgo ran computer simulations to study the characteristics of the two main lines, which were largely confirmed by the practical tests. The Talgo Pendular covered the 429 km between Zagreb and Split in 6h 30min, compared to the usual timings of 8 to 10h. On the 229 km Rijeka route a time saving of 60min was achieved.
On May 23 HZ and Bosnia-Herzegovina rail authority BHZJK organised a demonstration trip from Zagreb to Ploce via Mostar. It was the first passenger-carrying train to run through northern Bosnia since the end of the civil war, following the completion of bridge repairs and de-mining along the route.
