We announce the Study of the profitability of the Uskoplje – Zelenika railway, currently being prepared by the Office for Basic Capacity Studies and Development – Sarajevo Railway Transport Company, January 1967.
The Uskoplje – Zelenika railway was completed and put into service on July 17, 1901. At the same time, a section of the Gabela – Dubrovnik railway was also introduced into operation, linking Sarajevo with the sea and the Gruž port in Dubrovnik, and through the Uskoplje – Zelenika railway with the port in Zelenika and the region of the Bay of Kotor. The Uskoplje – Zelenika railway is 65.4 km long and exhibits all the features of a highly mountainous railway. The maximum ascent towards Zelenika (from Uskoplje to Glavska and Grude – Nagumanca) is 18 ‰ (per mille), while in the opposite direction (Zelenika – Nagumanci and Cavtat – Glavska), it is 25‰.
With the construction of the standard Sarajevo–Metković–Ploče line on November 26, 1966, the narrow-gauge lines were abolished: Uskoplje–Zelenika was discontinued on June 1, 1968, and the lines Čapljina–Gabela–Dubrovnik and Hum–Trebinje–Bileća were discontinued on June 1, 1976. According to data in this study document, the Institute for Transport at the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Sarajevo had already conducted a profitability study of the Uskoplje–Zelenika line in 1963, comparing the costs (based on the prices, tariffs, and instruments from that year) of transportation on this line with the cost of road transport from Herceg Novi to Metković and further on the normal railway to Čapljina. The conclusion, based on the prices and instruments of that time, was that road transport was significantly cheaper than railway transport.
Based on these considerations in this study (Office for Studies and Development of Basic Capacities of ŽTP Sarajevo), it was determined that the Uskoplje – Zelenika railway for ŽTP Sarajevo, from a general societal perspective, is unprofitable, and in such a case, the losses would be even greater when planning for the revaluation of fixed assets that would come into effect in 1967.
We recommend that you review this historical document, especially for railway enthusiasts and all those who explore and study the history of railways in Bosnia and Herzegovina — an exclusive literary rarity that cannot be overlooked.
Click on the PDF document to view the booklet:
Srećko Ignjatović