Railroad to Croatia to Be Designed for 200 km per Hour Too – Overpasses for Both Vehicles and Wild Animals

The Provincial Secretariat for Urban Planning and Environmental Protection has put up for public inspection the Draft Spatial Plan of the Special-Purpose Area of the Infrastructural Corridor of the Belgrade-Sid-Croatian Border Railroad, Section Stara Pazova-Golubinci-Sid, and the Indjija-Golubinci Railroad (Connection with the Novi Sad Railroad).

According to the document, which was prepared by the Institute for Urban Planning of Vojvodina, the concept of the modernization and reconstruction of the Stara Pazova-Ruma-Sid-Croatian border section entails the forming of a two-track main railroad for mixed (passenger and cargo) traffic in both directions for trains speeds of up to 200 km/h, whereas the Indjija-Golubinci railroad section is designed as a two-track railroad (by adding a new track) for speeds of up to 120 km/h, as the most rational solution.

The route of the Stara Pazova-Sid-state border railroad is 84.2 kilometers long, whereas the length of the Indjija-Golubinci railroad is 4.2 kilometers.

The plan adds that the new route, without major deviations, follows the existing one as the most rational solution, and the deviations are located in front of and behind the stations, due to the requirements of the stations themselves, as well in the locations of individual bends on the open railroad whose geometric elements did not meet the requirements of the new planned speed.

– To the end of rationalizing the costs of the construction and the level of service, and due to spatial or other types of limitations, it was not possible to realize the speed of 200 km/h on the entire section. In the zone of the Ruma and Sid stations, a speed of up to 160 km/h has been adopted, whereas in the zone of the Sremska Mitrovica, a speed of up to 120 km/h has been adopted. On the Stara Pazova-Golubinci and Indjija Golubinci parts of the route, speeds of up to 160 and 120 km/h have been adopted – it is explained.

On the other hand, considering that the Stara Pazova-Sid-state border railroad extends to the railroad which goes toward Zagreb and that the railroad in Croatia is meant for speeds of up to 160 km/h with 4 meters of distance between the tracks, on the part of the railroad from the Sid station to the state border, said planned speed has been retained, primarily because of the distance between the tracks.

The beginning of the reconstruction is to start from the Stara Pazova station.

The route of the main railroad with two sections is split into five subsections:

1) Subsection 1 (Golubinci including-Ruma excluding), (km 43+505 – km 62+469), with a length of 18.9 km, is located within the segment of the Golubinci-Ruma railroad. Five de-leveled crossings are planned (3 overpasses, 1 underpass and 1 ecological bridge). It is designed for a speed of 200 km/h.

2) Subsection 2 (Ruma including-Sremska Mitrovica excluding), (km 62+469 – km 79+238), with a length of 16.7 km, is located within the segment of Ruma-Sremska Mitrovica railroad. Five de-leveled crossings are planned (4 overpasses, 1 underpass). The section is designed for a speed of 200 km/h, except for the Ruma station zone, where the planned speed is 160 km/h.

3) Subsection 3 (Sremska Mitrovica including-Sid-state border), (km 79+238 – km 120+640), with a length of 41.4 km, is located within the segment of the Sremska Mitrovica-state border railroad. The technical documentation envisages 13 de-leveled crossings (4 overpasses, 8 underpasses and an ecological bridge). The planned speed is 200 km/h, except for the Sremska Mitrovica station zone, where the planned speed is 120 km/h, and the Sid stations zone, where the planned speed is 160 km/h.

4) Subsection 4 (Indjija excluding-Golubinci excluding), (km 1+995 – km 4+720), with a length of 2.7 km, is located within the segment of the Golubinci-Indjija railroad. No de-leveled crossings with the infrastructure are planned, and the railroad route is designed for a speed of up to 160 km/h.

5) Subsection 5 (Stara Pazova excluding-Golubinci excluding), (km 36+426 – km 43+505), with a length of 7.1 km, is located within the segment of the Stara Pazova-Golubinci railroad. Two de-leveled gallery-type crossings are planned. The planned speed is 120 km/h.

The design envisages seven stations and one bypass on the entire route. The existing station locations are kept, except for the Voganj station, which is designed as a bypass. All the stations are planned for a full reconstruction.

The plan is to build a protective wire fence along the entire route, as well as at the stations, all the way to the zones of the station buildings and platforms themselves.

Among the planning solutions for the protection of nature, the two planned overpasses (said ecological bridges) for large wild animals, are very important.

These alternative passes are to be built above the infrastructural structures so as to avoid upsetting the life of wild animals and prevent their extermination as much as possible.

The most important characteristic of these overpasses is that great attention is paid to the design which entails covering the passes with rich vegetation so that the animals would recognize them as their natural environment and get used to walking on them.

B. P.

Pokrajinski sekretarijat za urbanizam i zaštitu životne sredine Novi Sad

Provincial Secretariat for Urban Planning and Environmental Protection

Stara Pazova Sid state border railroad

Indjija Golubinci railroad

Draft Spatial Plan of the Special Purpose Area of the Infrastructural Corridor of the Belgrade Sid Croatian Border Railroad Section Stara Pazova Golubinci Sid and the Indjija Golubinci Railroad

railroad reconstruction

ecological bridges

passes for wild animals

overpasses for wild animals

protective fence on the railway

reconstruction of rail stations