ZAGREB, Dec 13 (Hina) - Croatian Railways (HZ) plan to invest 2.2 billion kuna in the modernisation and renovation of the main roads' infrastructure, and new transport capacities in 2002, the HZ management president, Marijan
Drempetic, told journalists Thursday. Plans for the future include connecting Zagreb and Split by 2004 with passenger trains in less than five hours. This requires a complete adjustment of infrastructure on roads through the Lika region. The project will be completed by 2003, followed by the introduction of much faster tilting trains. Related to this is a project of electrification of the entire passenger route which would connect central Croatia with its south and all other cities in Europe, Drempetic said. He added that in the first nine months of 2001, 27 million passengers have travelled with HZ, which is an increase of 7.3 percent in relation to the same period last year. A
ZAGREB, Dec 13 (Hina) - Croatian Railways (HZ) plan to invest 2.2
billion kuna in the modernisation and renovation of the main roads'
infrastructure, and new transport capacities in 2002, the HZ
management president, Marijan Drempetic, told journalists
Thursday.
Plans for the future include connecting Zagreb and Split by 2004
with passenger trains in less than five hours. This requires a
complete adjustment of infrastructure on roads through the Lika
region. The project will be completed by 2003, followed by the
introduction of much faster tilting trains. Related to this is a
project of electrification of the entire passenger route which
would connect central Croatia with its south and all other cities in
Europe, Drempetic said.
He added that in the first nine months of 2001, 27 million
passengers have travelled with HZ, which is an increase of 7.3
percent in relation to the same period last year. A total of 8.5
million tonnes of cargo were transported by freight trains, or 5.7
percent more than in 2000. Revenues from both transport of
passengers and the cargo in the first nine months of this year
amounted to 527.8 million kuna, which is a 6.3 percent increase. At
the same time, revenues from the state budget have been decreased by
26.4 percent, to 786.1 million kuna. A share from the state budget
in the overall HZ revenue has dropped from 58.1 percent to 45.1
percent.
Planned investments for 2001 in the amount of 750 million kuna will
be realised with 510 million kuna. The reason for the incomplete
realisation of the plan is insufficient technical documentation
and incomplete preparations, which are the consequence of a lack of
investment funds in earlier years.
(hina) np sb