Freight Train Ran Through Red Light Near Rijeka
The incident on August 10 narrowly avoided tragedy on the tracks, and 45 passengers had to be taken to their destination by bus.
The incident on August 10 narrowly avoided tragedy on the tracks, and 45 passengers had to be taken to their destination by bus.
A serious safety breach occurred on Monday, August 10, 2026, on the railway line towards Rijeka. A freight train passed through a red light, leading to a situation that narrowly avoided a potential tragedy. The engineer operating the train now faces dismissal.
Due to the incident and the need for additional safety checks on the line, 45 passengers who were scheduled to travel by train to Rijeka had to be rerouted. Their transport was organized by buses to ensure they reached their destination.
Running a red signal is one of the most severe violations in railway traffic, as it directly endangers the safety of all involved. Such failures can lead to direct train collisions, derailments, and loss of life.
Croatian Railways, the operator on this line, has not yet issued an official statement regarding the details of the investigation. It is unknown whether the incident was caused by a technical malfunction, human error, or negligence on the part of the engineer. The news about the initiation of proceedings that could result in dismissal was published by journalist Vanja Margetić on the portal Dnevnik.hr.
The incident occurred on Sunday around 1 PM on the section between Meja and Škrljevo, when a 30-year-old engineer, who has been on the job for seven years, failed to stop a HŽ Cargo freight train at a red light. In passing, he damaged a switch that was supposed to divert him to a siding to let a passenger train from the opposite direction pass. After the automatic train stop device activated, the engineer, according to unofficial information, restarted the train without consulting the relevant services and attempted to continue. Traffic controllers from HŽ Infrastruktura prevented further movement by cutting off the electrical power on that section, causing both trains to stop and avoiding a collision at the last moment.
HŽ Cargo confirmed that the engineer had previously been issued a warning regarding his work obligations, but they emphasize that this prior issue was not related to train operation or safety. In response to media inquiries, the company stated: "If the final report confirms that this was a personal failure of the employee, it includes termination of the employment contract." Nenad Mrgan, president of the Croatian Train Drivers' Union, said that this is a "major and serious failure" if all the mentioned circumstances are confirmed. The incident near Škrljevo occurred just one day after a collision between a freight and a passenger train near Križevci, where a 20-year-old engineer was operating a train on that section for the first time independently, further heightening concerns about railway safety.
