Croatia and Slovenia are developing plans for a new cross-border railway connection linking Ljubljana and Zagreb via Novo Mesto and Karlovac, with the aim of improving passenger transport, strengthening regional economic ties and boosting tourism.
The initiative was discussed at a meeting in Grosuplje, Slovenia, attended by representatives of national and local authorities, railway companies and the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) Paths of the Future Ljubljana–Novo Mesto–Karlovac–Zagreb. Slovenia’s Minister for Cohesion and Regional Development, Monika Kirbiš Rojs, also took part. One of the key objectives is to restore the railway connection between Novo Mesto and Karlovac, with its re-establishment envisaged after 2030.
Croatia’s Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure views the project as part of wider efforts to modernise regional railway infrastructure and improve connections to the European Union’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). Croatia aims to complete most of its main railway corridors by 2030, while the cross-border initiative itself dates back to 2018. Cooperation was formalised in 2023 with the establishment of the first EGTC based in Slovenia, bringing together several Slovenian municipalities, representatives of Croatia’s Karlovac region, Slovenian Railways and Croatian railway infrastructure manager HŽ Infrastruktura.
The railway project is part of a broader cross-border development strategy for 2028–2034, focusing on mobility and transport, entrepreneurship and innovation, and sustainable tourism. In addition to improving passenger services, the plans include developing freight transport, strengthening links between industrial areas and improving access to employment, education, healthcare and other essential services for people in smaller towns and rural communities.
The partners also aim to have the project recognised as a strategic initiative under the future European Interreg Slovenia–Croatia programme. The cross-border region has been selected by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy and the OECD to participate in a pilot initiative supporting the development of EU border regions. As part of the programme, partners will prepare joint development strategies and identify potential European, national and local funding sources. Beyond transport, the initiative also envisages promoting sustainable tourism by revitalising traditional rural, agricultural and railway sites along the corridor.
