Trains to be removed after collision as investigation continues

The passenger and freight trains that collided near Križevci on Saturday are expected to be removed from the scene today, with repairs to the railway line scheduled to follow. HŽ Infrastruktura expects the track to reopen to traffic on Monday.

HŽ Infrastruktura spokeswoman Željka Miša said crews had been working throughout the night to clear the site. All wagons have already been removed from the freight train, but its locomotive and the passenger battery-electric train remain at the scene.

A team of experts from Končar is required to assist with removing the passenger train because of its battery system. Miša said both trains are expected to be removed on Sunday, after which repairs to the track will begin.

The collision did not cause serious damage to the railway line, according to the information available so far. Several sleepers will need to be replaced and other necessary repairs carried out before the line can reopen.

Twenty-five people were injured in Saturday’s collision, including two train drivers and a conductor. The accident occurred at around 10 a.m. on the railway line between Sveti Ivan Žabno and Gradec, near Škrinjar.

The investigation at the scene was led by the deputy municipal state attorney in Bjelovar, with assistance from police officers and other relevant services.

The exact cause of the collision has not yet been established. However, unofficial reports have pointed to possible human error, with the experience of the freight train's conductor among the issues being examined.

Nenad Mrgan, president of the Locomotive Drivers' Union of Croatia, said all circumstances surrounding the accident were being analysed and that inexperience may have played a role.

“Could this have been avoided? What was the main cause of the accident? Certainly, inexperience played a role,” Mrgan said, adding that the conductor had been on the job for only a year and was recovering from the shock of the accident.

According to Mrgan, the five-month period of hands-on training for young conductors is too short to fully master the complexities of operating such heavy machinery.

The investigation into the collision is ongoing, and the exact circumstances and cause of the accident remain unknown.