My Take (Arnulf Christa): When an Indian construction company receives 900 million euros for railway construction in Croatia, it demonstrates two things: Europe is opening up to global competitors, and Central and Eastern Europeans are investing massively in railways. For European companies, this is a wake-up call — the European Union is properly funding these TEN-T corridors, but competition is now international. Anyone who wants to bid here needs either local partners or genuine specialization.
On 1 October 2026, Indian construction company Afcons Infrastructure signed its first contract in Europe—a major rail infrastructure project valued at EUR 898.9 million for HŽ Infrastruktura, the Croatian rail infrastructure operator. The project entails the comprehensive reconstruction and double-tracking of the 83-kilometre railway line connecting Dugo Selo and Novska, with the line being upgraded to support 160 km/h operational speeds. The scheduled construction duration is 5 years and 10 months from contract commencement.
The project’s scope includes the construction of new bridges, tunnels, and modern signalling and telecommunications technology, alongside electrification works necessary for high-speed rail operations on the corridor. Eptisa Adria has been appointed as the project supervision and contract management consultant. This project forms a critical component of the European Union’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) core network corridors, serving as a key link in the Western Balkans Corridor that connects Central Europe to Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean.
The substantial European co-financing and strategic importance for regional connectivity underscore the project’s role in modernising rail infrastructure across Southeast Europe. For German and Austrian rail sector participants and freight logistics operators, the Dugo Selo–Novska corridor upgrade represents improved connectivity for cross-border rail services along the strategic Western Balkans transport route, with implications for pan-European goods and passenger transport networks.
Source: Railway Gazette International