Work has been completed on a €350m railway bridge over the Drava River between Croatia and Hungary.

The double-tracked Drava Bridge replaces a single-track version, and will expand the capacity of the line.

It is 300m long, weighs 4,000 tonnes and was constructed using the “longitudinal push” technique, applied in Croatia for the first time.

The contractor on the scheme was Turkish company Cengiz Insaat.

Mehmet Yilmaz, an engineer on the scheme, said the most challenging work involved constructing elliptical piers in the Drava “to ensure environmental harmony and structural stability”.

The project was co-financed by the government of Croatia and the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility.

Besides the bridge, the scheme will lay a second track on the 15km stretch between the town of Krizevci in Croatiaand Gyekenyes in Hungary.

€6bn modernisation

The upgrade is part of a €6bn modernisation plan launched by HZ Infrastruktura, Croatia’s rail operator. The programme includes nearly 20 projects aimed at improving freight and passenger transport.

Once fully commissioned, the Krizevci line will support speeds of up to 160 km/h and improve communication in the hinterland of the Adriatic Port of Rijeka.

The entire project is currently 75% finished, with the remaining work focused on the section between Mucna Reka and Koprivnica, scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

HZ Infrastruktura said the line will then handle 30 freight trains a day – a dramatic increase in the number plying the line before Croatia joined the Schengen Area.

The enhanced capacity aims to enable easier cargo movement from the Adriatic to Hungary and beyond.

Ivan Krsic, the chief executive of HZ Infrastruktura, commented: “This project will significantly improve connectivity for freight transport, particularly benefiting the Port of Rijeka. It’s a major step forward in strengthening our international rail corridors.”