TRENDOVI, UZROCI I POSLJEDICE IZVANREDNIH DOGAĐAJA U ŽELJEZNIČKOM SUSTAVU RH (2019.–2024.) / TRENDS, CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF RAILWAY OCCURRENCES IN CROATIA (2019–2024)

Abstract

This paper analyzes extraordinary events in the railway system of the Republic of Croatia in the period 2019–2024, with an emphasis on changes recorded in 2024. The aim is to identify trends, dominant causes and consequences of such events, and to propose priority measures to improve railway safety and service reliability. Based on the annual report, key indicators for 2024 are compared with those from 2023 and with the five-year average (2019–2023), including a review of changes in the structure of events and their dynamics over time. The results show a decrease in the total number of extraordinary events in 2024 compared to 2023, while the number of serious accidents remained unchanged, accidents decreased more markedly, and incidents decreased moderately. Special attention is paid to events at railway level crossings (RLCs), which continue to represent a major risk area, and to technical deficiencies of infrastructure subsystems, with the civil engineering subsystem dominating among technical causes. Consequences are assessed through fatalities, serious injuries, traffic interruptions, and material damage, highlighting the operational and economic impacts on the system. Finally, the paper proposes measures focused on reducing risks at RLCs, strengthening preventive infrastructure maintenance, modernizing crossing protection, and improving indicator-based safety management.