Talks Ongoing for Zagreb-Sarajevo Train Restart
Train services between Zagreb and Sarajevo may finally resume as the Bosnian and Croatian railways have reopened talks to restore this vital link.
Zagreb to Sarajevo train
Since the railway timetable change in December 2016, the long-running Zagreb to Sarajevo train service has been indefinitely suspended, effectively cutting Bosnia and Herzegovina off from the rest of the European railway network.
However, talks are currently underway between the relevant railway companies to restart the Zagreb-Sarajevo train service, which could be relaunched as early as the December 2026-2027 timetable change.
Government talks
According to the Bosnian newspaper Oslobođenje, the railway companies of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia have already discussed relaunching the direct train service between Sarajevo and Zagreb.
Adnan Kubat, acting executive director of the Railways of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ŽFBH), told the newspaper that a study on re-establishing the rail link has already been completed, with all interested parties expressing their willingness to participate in the project.
Tasked with relaunching the train service is a special joint operational body comprising the relevant railway companies as well as the authorities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, the Serb-majority entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Republika Srpska
As the railway line between Sarajevo and Zagreb passes through Banja Luka, the capital of Republika Srpska, it is essential for the project to have the Serb-majority entity on board.
According to Oslobođenje, the most enthusiastic response to inquiries about re-establishing the Sarajevo–Zagreb train service has come from the ethnic Serbian side.
Aleksandra Simić, Public Relations Officer of Željeznica Republike Srpske (ŽRS), the railway company of Republika Srpska, told the newspaper that they are “absolutely committed to entity, regional and international connectivity in passenger rail transport”.
However, she said that “technological and commercial requirements” must be met before the train service can be relaunched.
According to the joint study carried out by the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, passengers expect significant investment in infrastructure and rolling stock.
Croatian response
HŽPP, the Croatian Railways, has confirmed that “representatives of the relevant ministries of both countries, as well as railway operators, are discussing the re-establishment of train services” between Zagreb and Sarajevo.
According to HŽPP, the three railway companies aim to reintroduce the Zagreb-Sarajevo train service “in the 2026/2027 timetable”.
International train links to and from Bosnia
Currently, the only international rail connection to Bosnia is the train linking Sarajevo and Mostar with Ploče on the Croatian coast.
Services on this highly scenic railway line are rather limited, though, with the train running only once daily on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Besides, Ploče is a dead end, as there are no onward rail connections from there.
Reopening the rail link between Sarajevo and Zagreb would reconnect Bosnia to the wider European railway network, allowing passengers to transfer to onward trains for cities such as Ljubljana, Vienna, and Zurich.
My take on the potential resumption of Zagreb-Sarajevo trains
I last took the Zagreb-Sarajevo train in the winter of 2008 and still vividly remember the journey through the beautiful snowy hills and mountains of Bosnia.
The Balkans are a fantastic region to explore, but it is a real shame that international train connections between the countries are so poor.
However, the Budapest-Belgrade railway line will soon reopen once technical issues with the signalling and control system are resolved, with Belgrade-Budapest and Belgrade-Vienna trains set to resume, marking the start of a small train travel renaissance in the Balkans.
The restart of train services between Zagreb and Sarajevo would perfectly complement this, but overall connectivity would still be far worse than it was two decades ago.
At a bare minimum, the vital Zagreb-Belgrade rail link should be fully restored, as there are currently no train services between the capitals of Croatia and Serbia.
Here, the reasons for the lack of trains appear to be entirely political and/or financial, as there is a perfectly good railway line between the two cities, which were well connected before services were suspended during the pandemic.
Ideally, we would also see the reinstatement of the direct Budapest-Sarajevo service (via Pécs, Osijek, Strizivojna-Vrpolje, and Doboj), which was discontinued in 2012.
This is another train I remember fondly, and reinstating it would further improve connectivity between the Balkans and Central Europe.
Conclusion
Trilateral talks are ongoing between the governments and railway companies of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, and Croatia to restore the train connection between Sarajevo and Zagreb.
According to the Croatian Railways, the aim is to relaunch the Zagreb-Sarajevo train service at the 2026/2027 timetable change.
