Croatia plans to invest a total of €6 billion in the modernisation of its rail network by 2030. In April 2023, €4 billion was announced. The investment programme will be largely financed by the European Union, while the European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing a loan of €900 million. The modernisation plans upgrading 337 km of rail infrastructure. A key project is the 42.6 km Krizevci – Koprivnica – Gyekenyes main line, which will be co-financed with €350 million from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding programme. This project, which is already 50% complete, is expected to be finalised by the beginning of 2025. In addition to modernising the rail infrastructure, Croatian state railway HZ plans to purchase 60 new trains by 2030, including 21 electric multiple units (EMU), 11 of which are already in operation, as well as two battery-electric multiple units (BEMU) for non-electrified lines, and four BEMUs or hybrid multiple units. By 2030, the entire old fleet is to be replaced by these new, alternatively powered trains, which will be supplied by Croatian manufacturer Koncar.
