Preferred bidder will assist with procurement and delivery of new railway from Zagreb to Rijeka. Photo Credit: David Gubler CROATIAN infrastructure manager HŽ Infrastructure is tendering a contract to provide technical assistance for the procurement and implementation of a contract to design and build two sections of the new 174.7km line between Zagreb and the port of Rijeka, also known as the Lowland Railway project. The deadline for submitting bids is March 31 and a budget of €1.5m has been set for the consultancy contract. The preferred bidder will provide procurement assistance that will include drafting the design and build contract for the 39.1km Karlovac - Skradnik and 72.2 km Skradnik - Tijani sections of the new Zagreb - Rijeka line, as well as final consultancy services during the implementation phase. The new double-track electrified line will be designed for operation at up to 160km/h, with six new stations to be built between Karlovac and Tijani. HŽ Infrastructure says that the new line will pass through very demanding terrain, requiring the construction of 17 viaducts and 14 tunnels. With passing loops able to accommodate freight trains up to 750m long, the new line will form part of the Mediterranean, Baltic Sea - Adriatic Sea and Western Balkans - Eastern Mediterranean TEN-T corridors, connecting the Northen Adriatic with Hungary and other Central European countries and cutting the distance between Rijeka and Zagreb by rail by 56km. Alliance model HŽ Infrastructure says that the design and build contract will follow an alliance model, the first time this approach has been adopted in Croatia. This aims to deliver large and complex infrastructure projects more effectively, based on a partnership between the client and the contractor working as a single integrated team to jointly manage risks. Disputes are resolved within the project, with the parties only resorting to legal action “in exceptional cases,” according HŽ Infrastructure. Complete financial transparency is ensured by adopting an open-book model, with key decisions made unanimously to arrive at the best solution for the project rather than individual interests. The Karlovac - Skradnik and Skradnik - Tijani sections are currently at the conceptual design stage. Planning permission is expected to be granted by the end of this year after the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition approved the project in 2025. The other sections of the Lowland Railway project are: Zagreb - Hrvatski Leskovac (10.7km) Hrvatski Leskovac - Karlovac (44km), and Tijani - Rijeka (8.7km) HŽ Infrastructure says that total cost of the new line between Zagreb and Rijeka is estimated at around €3bn. A more precise value and the timescale for completion will be defined after conceptual design is completed, based on market prices when tenders are called for the design and construction contract.
