Railway Services in Bosnia Bounce Back After Floods
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Synopsis
Railway services in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina have resumed after a four-month suspension due to devastating floods that caused significant damage to infrastructure and economic losses. Key repairs have been completed, restoring vital transport routes and allowing the resumption of freight and passenger services.
Key Takeaways
- Southern Bosnia sees railway services resume.
- Flooding caused 22.5 million KM in losses.
- Repairs funded by the EU Solidarity Fund.
- Train operations fully restored between Sarajevo and Capljina.
- Infrastructure damaged during floods that claimed 29 lives.
Sarajevo, Feb 11 (NationPress) Railway services in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have completely resumed after a four-month halt due to severe flooding, according to the national railway operator.
The flooding in early October caused significant damage to railway infrastructure in the Jablanica area of central Bosnia, leading to the suspension of operations.
As of Monday, passenger trains between the capital Sarajevo and the southern border city of Capljina are back in service. Freight transport to the port of Ploce in Croatia, an essential economic hub in the Western Balkans, resumed at the end of January.
The damages caused by the floods led to an estimated revenue loss of 22.5 million Bosnia-Herzegovina Convertible Marka (KM) (almost $11.9 million), as reported by Xinhua news agency.
The railway operator has sought financial aid from the EU Solidarity Fund to help with repairs on the most impacted sections between Konjic and Grabovica in central Bosnia. (1 KM = $0.53)
Bosnia and Herzegovina Railways announced that repairs on the railway line connecting Sarajevo to the southern regions have been finalized.
Service was suspended following catastrophic floods last October, which affected five cities and resulted in 29 fatalities. The disaster caused extensive damage to rail infrastructure, disrupting transport throughout the region.
Mostar, famous for its picturesque landscapes and river vistas, was isolated from rail service during the repair period.
The railway authority confirmed that train operations along the route are now entirely restored.
Rail traffic was interrupted on October 4, 2024, when heavy rain caused a landslide at the Komadinov Vrelo site in Jablanica, leaving a 200-meter-long section of track suspended in the air.
The repairs were completed, and the railway was tested on Sunday (January 26), with Edin Forto, the Minister of Transport and Communications of Bosnia and Herzegovina, announcing that freight traffic would be permitted first, followed by passenger services.
The restoration of the railway, which had left trains out of service on the Sarajevo-Mostar route and extending to Ploce (Croatia) for nearly four months, was conducted by the Turkish firm Cengiz Insaat.
The railway corridor from Ploce via Metkovic (Croatia) through Bosnia and Herzegovina and the cities of Capljina, Mostar, Jablanica, and Konjic to Sarajevo forms part of European Corridor 5c.
According to data from the Federation Railways company, daily transport in the first nine months of 2024 averaged between 6,500 to 7,000 tons of goods.
It is estimated that at the interruption of rail services, the Port of Ploce had around 400,000 tons of goods destined for the Bosnian market.
