June 6 (SeeNews) - Croatia's capital Zagreb will be linked by rail to Hungary by 2022, and to the coastal city of Rijeka by 2030, as the government steps up investment in rail infrastructure, transport minister Oleg Butkovic said.
Following the completion of motorway projects, Croatia is now looking to improve its railway infrastructure in order to boost the competitiveness of its railways on the European transport market, Butkovic said in a statement on Tuesday.
A political decision on the construction of the Lowland railway from Zagreb to Rijeka would be taken soon, Butkovic said, adding that without this link the port of Rijeka would be unable to undergo "strong development".
Croatia signed an agreement with Serbia earlier this year on the modernisation of the 300 km long Zagreb-Belgrade rail link, Butkovic said. Croatia has already completed several sections on its side of the border, and is preparing to seek financing for the completion of the Dugo Selo-Novska and Okucani-Vinkovci sections.
Butkovic added that EU funds are the biggest and strongest source of financing to Croatia as the country tackles infrastructure projects but the concession model cannot be ruled out if the country wants to speed up the development of an efficient rail network.