{"id":34951,"date":"2025-07-14T23:23:29","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T21:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vremeplov.ba\/2025\/?p=34951"},"modified":"2025-07-14T23:23:34","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T21:23:34","slug":"a-glimpse-into-the-past-125-years-of-the-neretva-railway-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vremeplov.ba\/2025\/en\/2025\/07\/14\/a-glimpse-into-the-past-125-years-of-the-neretva-railway-line\/","title":{"rendered":"A Glimpse into the Past -125 Years of the Neretva Railway Line"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A look into the past is a process that never stops and is always building upon itself. With the whistle of a locomotive on August 1, 1891, during a celebration with cannons firing from nearby hills, the arrival of the first train into Sarajevo from the direction of Metkovi\u0107 was marked. With this arrival of the southern railway into the city of Sarajevo, the “giant project”<\/em> was completed and handed over for the use of the country's residents<\/em>. The Neretva line was built over the course of seven full years. In November 2016, the 75th anniversary of the narrow gauge (0.76 m<\/em>) and the 50th anniversary of the standard gauge (1.435 m<\/em>) are commemorated, marking a total of 125 years since regular railway operations began on this very important rail connection, counting from the date of the first train\u2019s arrival in Sarajevo.<\/p>\n\n\n

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In this article, we invite all generations, for rest and the soul, to learn something, remember childhood and youth, and with the attached old photographs, reflect on the past\u2014truthful, a different and (un)ordinary story about the history of the Sarajevo – Metkovi\u0107 \u2013 Plo\u010de railway line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was announced in a newspaper report published in Mostar's “Novi Herzegova\u010dki Bosiljak” on August 30, 1884: “It is announced that the general construction of the Mostar-Metkovi\u0107 railway will begin on the 8th of the next month, and by April 30, 1885, it must be handed over to the state fully equipped.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the sound of the pick and shovel on the hard Herzegovinian stone and the echoing of metal rails from countless driven-in spikes into wooden sleepers begins a turbulent history of the existence of the narrow-gauge railway line from the land port in Metkovi\u0107 to Mostar and further all the way to Sarajevo. This railway is recorded in railway maps under the name Neretva Railway or *Narentabahn* in German.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certainly! Here's the translation:\n\n\n\nNamely, on that day, the first works for the construction of the narrow-gauge railway from Metkovi\u0107 to Mostar begin. The construction of the railway took about ten months, executed by the company Karla V. Schwarza from Vienna, and was opened to public traffic on June 14, 1885. After the completion of the railway, traffic on it was entrusted by the State Government to a special management based in Mostar, while the extension of the railway to Sarajevo in 1891 was managed by the Directorate in Sarajevo, a predecessor of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian State Railways Directorate established in 1895 (BHStB – Bosnisch-Herzegowinische Staatsbahn 1883-1908).<\/p>\n\n\n

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At the beginning of 1887, work commenced on the railway section from Mostar to Jablanica, Rama, and Ostro\u017eac, and it was opened for public traffic on August 22, 1888. A part of the railway from Ostro\u017eac, Lisi\u010di\u0107i, to Konjic was completed and put into operation on November 10, 1889. The segment of the railway from Konjic to Sarajevo posed a difficult challenge for engineers, who had to solve the problem of crossing the watershed between the Neretva River basin and that of Bosnia. The technically feasible route chosen was over Ivan Sedlo, with a length of 79 kilometers (*the second option over the Pogorelice pass with an 895-meter tunnel, through Fojnica to Visoko, length 96 km, was abandoned*). This route involved a 648-meter tunnel through which a steep ascent and descent of up to 60 per thousand was to be overcome, with the use of rack railway technology planned for the sections from Konjic (*Podora\u0161ac \u2013 Bradina, 8.1 km*) towards Ivan Sedlo, as well as from Ivan Sedlo to Pazari\u0107 (*Bradina \u2013 Ra\u0161telica and Tar\u010din \u2013 Pazari\u0107, 10.7 km*).<\/p>\n\n\n

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The entire line to Sarajevo, spanning 178.4 km, was completed on August 1, 1891, finally establishing a continuous railway connection between Sarajevo and Metkovi\u0107. With the railway linking Mostar to Sarajevo, travelers from Mostar could journey to Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Paris, and even Istanbul aboard the famous “Orient Express.” It is worth mentioning that Emperor Franz Joseph I, during his official visit to Sarajevo, arrived in Mostar on June 3, 1910, by a special royal train (Budapest \u2013 Brod \u2013 Derventa \u2013 Sarajevo<\/em>) and returned the same day. Additionally, Crown Prince Franz Ferdinand traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina by a special train from Metkovi\u0107 to Sarajevo during his visit on June 23, 1914. As is well known from history, he was assassinated on June 28, and his body was transported by train to Metkovi\u0107 on June 30, 1914.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Construction of the Dalmatian Railway \u2013 Dalmatiner Bahn<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Herzegovina\u2019s desire to connect with Dalmatia via a railway line (Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia, and Dalmatia<\/em> 1868-1918<\/em>) \u2014 specifically with Split and Dubrovnik, or Herceg Novi and Boka Kotorska (Austrian imperial possession from 1814 to 1918<\/em>) \u2014 will only be realized in ten years. Namely, after securing the necessary funds and by imperial decree on July 7, 1898, the Bosnian-Herzegovinian administration began constructing the railway from Gabela station to Uskoplie (Herzegovina Railway, 93 km<\/em>) and to Gru\u017e station (Dalmatian Railway, 16.5 km<\/em>) by the end of the same year, totaling 109.5 kilometers. From Uskoplie, another branch extended toward Glavska (Herzegovina Railway, 21 km<\/em>) and was built to Zelenika in the Boka Kotorska Bay (Dalmatian Railway, 53.4 km<\/em>), with a total length of 74.4 kilometers. It should be noted that this branch of the Dalmatian connecting railway, 7.4 kilometers long, crossed through Herzegovinian territory, as Bosnian land, near Sutorina, and was constructed at the expense of the BH administration. This was because the contractors working on Herzegovinian territory were managed by the Construction Department of the State Government in Sarajevo, while on Dalmatian territory, they operated through their own regime, managed by the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Railway Directorate from Vienna.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Similarly, the construction of the railway branch from Huma station to Trebinje, measuring 16.6 kilometers, was underway. In mid-July (the 16th and 17th) of 1901, the railway line Gabela \u2013 Trebinje, Gabela \u2013 Gru\u017e (Dubrovnik<\/em>), and Gabela \u2013 Zelenika was opened to public traffic. Under a special agreement, operation on these lines was managed by the Directorate of the Bosnia-Herzegovina State Railways on behalf of the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Railways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his spirit, Benjamina<\/em> von K\u00e1llay<\/em> (joint Minister of Finance of Austria-Hungary and Governor of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1882 to 1903) directed his financial and economic policy towards strengthening the economic potential of our country, so these railways (Sarajevo \u2013 Metkovi\u0107, Gabela \u2013 Hum \u2013 Trebinje, Uskoplje \u2013 Glavska, and the territory of the Sutorina area<\/em>) were built at the expense of the provincial Bosnian-Herzegovinian government. Although the construction of these railways was inspired by military motives of the dual monarchy, Bosnia and Herzegovina also held a certain economic and general transportation significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

**Reconstruction of the Pazari\u0107 – Bradina Railway Line**<\/p>\n\n\n

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The first reconstruction, or changes along the route from Sarajevo to Metkovi\u0107, took place with the decision made on April 24, 1930, by the Economic Conference of the Drina Banovina regarding the execution of the reconstruction of the Pazari\u0107 \u2013 Bradina \u2013 Konjic railway. The primary reason was to replace the adhesion gear with a adhesion track in order to overcome the elevation difference and the steep incline of the railway, which was about 60\u2030. The initial works began with the drilling of a new tunnel through Ivan Mountain, measuring 3,221.23 meters, and part of the new route (rerouting<\/em>) from the Ra\u0161telica station to Bradina, which were completed by April 9, 1931. The continuation of the works involved laying out the new adhesion railway Pazari\u0107 \u2013 Tar\u010din \u2013 Ra\u0161telica by constructing the Osenik tunnel, so that the entire section from Pazari\u0107 to Bradina was opened for traffic on October 27, 1935. Although the adhesion gear was definitively removed from this part of the railway, a section from Bradina to Br\u0111ani to Podora\u0161ac was not reconstructed, leaving the adhesion gear in place over a length of 8.1 km until its removal in 1966.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rail Connection to the Adriatic Sea and World War II<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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The railway connection with the Adriatic Sea began in 1938 with the construction of the Port of Plo\u010de, as well as the route of the railway line from Metkovi\u0107 to Plo\u010de. The length of this route, 21.5 km, was approximately 80% complete by 1940, only to be fully finished in 1942 by the Italian Army, who partially opened it to traffic with interruptions. After its capitulation, Germany restored the partially damaged track, and by mid-June 1944, it was put into operation. With its withdrawal, the German army damaged the track again, and it was reconstructed until July 15, 1945, when the entire line from Plo\u010de to Sarajevo was opened. \n\nAdditionally, during World War II, significant military operations took place on this route. In order to advance and halt enemy forces, Yugoslav Partisan units of the NOV in 1942 carried out sabotage along the Sarajevo \u2013 Mostar section, spanning 70 kilometers, during which they destroyed two large and several smaller bridges, 11 railway stations, and 57 accompanying buildings (Pazari\u0107 \u2013 Aleksin Han<\/em>), rendering 32 locomotives and 18 rack locomotives, as well as 76 wagons, inoperative.\n\nDuring the final operations to liberate these areas in 1945, both Allied forces and the enemy, during their retreat, destroyed or damaged about 80% of the Neretva railway line and its infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Post-War Railway Restoration<\/p>\n\n\n

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In the post-war period of reconstruction, special importance was given to the planning of economic, industrial, and financial development in the then People\u2019s Republic of (later Socialist) Bosnia and Herzegovina in the segment of restoring and building railway traffic. The primary task was the construction of the standard gauge line Sarajevo \u2013 Plo\u010de, and the second was the construction of the Jablanica hydroelectric dam in the valleys of the Neretva and Rama rivers. While studying and preparing the project (1948\/49), the most favorable route for the standard gauge was identified, and meanwhile, a significant reconstruction was carried out on the narrow-gauge railway between Jablanica station and Konjic. Namely, due to the formation of an artificial lake and the consequent flooding of a significant portion of the mentioned section (stations Lisi\u010di\u0107i, Ostro\u017eac, and Rama), a new narrow-gauge route was built on the left side of the Neretva River, approximately 22 kilometers long, with new railway stations at \u010celebi\u0107i, Ribi\u0107i, and Ostro\u017eac. This new section was opened for traffic on April 28, 1954. During 1949, with the construction of the Jablanica tunnel, and also from Ostro\u017eac (four Kukovi tunnels built in 1950), the initial works to move the narrow-gauge rail line towards the standard gauge Sarajevo \u2013 Plo\u010de line began in construction terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Construction of the Normal Sarajevo \u2013 Plo\u010de Line<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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By 1954, preparatory works began first, followed by the main construction on the tunnels near \u010celebi\u0107i. In mid-1958, intensive construction activities started on the segment Bla\u017euj \u2013 Pazaric \u2013 Ra\u0161telica \u2013 Bradina \u2013 Grad \u2013 Ov\u010dari \u2013 Konjic to \u010celebi\u0107i (route, tunnels, steel bridges, and viaducts), with completion planned by 1963. Regulating the Neretva Riverbed (Kula Norinska \u2013 Rogotin) and the work on the Plo\u010de marshalling station began in 1962 and continued until 1965. Essentially, from 1964 to 1966, the entire route of the railway\u2014the length of 194 kilometers of the lower deck\u2014was “attacked.” The finalization of signaling, safety, and stable installations, and eventually the upper deck, was actively completed during 1966. The route of the standard gauge, with its length, represented a large and complex construction project, as evidenced by these technical elements: The permissible gradient of the Sarajevo \u2013 Plo\u010de railway is 15 \u2030, and Plo\u010de \u2013 Sarajevo 24 \u2030; there are 108 tunnels with a total length of about 36 kilometers; 64 viaducts totaling approximately 4.6 km; 10 steel bridges with a combined length of 0.9 km; thus, the total length of the railway, including tunnels, viaducts, and bridges, is about 41.5 kilometers. The most challenging sections for builders included: the construction of the “Osenik” tunnel near Pazari\u0107 station, 1.887 km long; landslide repairs between Bradina and Ov\u010dari during construction; “Kukovi” tunnels near Ostro\u017eac station; the “Kri\u017e” tunnel on the left bank of the Neretva opposite Jablanica station; the “Gazela” steel bridge near Jablanica; crossing the Dre\u017eanka River at Stara Dre\u017enica station; the Jedrinje sector in the rugged valley of the Neretva River with 11 viaducts and bridges; 9 galleries; and 6 tunnels, the longest being “Jedrine” at 3.218 km, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The Sarajevo \u2013 Plo\u010de railway will be put into operation on November 29, 1966, to celebrate the Day of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, and official traffic with scheduled timetable will commence on December 1 of the same year with a diesel locomotive. From 1967 until the end of May 1969, a monophase contact network of 25 kV \u2013 50 Hz (electro traction with locomotives of 4,000 HP<\/em>) will be installed, along with embedded electro-relay signaling and safety devices (automatic and centralized control<\/em>) with a remote control device that allows remote management of traffic located in Rajlovac near Sarajevo. These electrical systems were destroyed during the last war in these areas (1992\/95), and as of today (2016), they have not been restored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, it is worth mentioning that the first ceremonial diesel-powered train (diesel locomotive number 661-148) departed from Sarajevo on the new normal gauge track on November 26, 1966 (to commemorate the anniversary of the First Session of the AVNOJ in Biha\u0107) to Mostar, operated by train driver Refik Masnopita, and from Mostar to Plo\u010de the following day, November 27, under the management of train driver Pero Andri\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Describing these November festive events of 1966, which remain forever etched in the history of railways in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we must also mention a sad November day, which is the last ride of the narrow-gauge train led by a steam locomotive known among the people as “\u0106iro.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u010ciro is leaving, diesel is coming<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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November 5, 1966. The last “\u0106iro” train departed from Plo\u010de towards Sarajevo, the good old train that had symbolized eight decades of existence along the narrow gauge track in these regions. The locomotive was the \u010capljina 83-146 with a Kobelco chimney. The engineer was Alija Klepo from Jablanica, and the fireman was Zdravko Ljolji\u0107. The journey was somewhat cheerful, somewhat sad. Decorated more than ever before, carrying the slogan “\u0106iro is leaving, diesel is arriving,” it rocked at forty kilometers an hour from station to station. Young and old welcomed it, bade farewell, held speeches, and rallies. In Mostar, about 10,000 citizens greeted it. As it entered the station, its long, shrill locomotive whistle conveyed both joy and sobs, and for many, a sense of fear for what was forever leaving. From Mostar, the train was pulled by “\u0110aku\u0161a” series 83-044 with engineer Mata Solda and fireman Salko Hod\u017ei\u0107 towards Jablanica and Konjic. When Mata pulled the lever, the engine roared, coughs and sneezes followed, and white smoke billowed into the sky under the clouds. Farewell, Mostar. This small composition, covered in smoke from the panting locomotive, zigzagged through the Neretva valley. Soon, it would pass through the canyon of the swift and clear Neretva River and through the gorges under the clouds, where the black eagles soar\u2014one of the most beautiful in Europe. The train's windows were crowded with people's heads, providing a pleasant and majestic view of the stunning scenery of Jablani\u010dko Lake, rushing towards the mountainous part of Bosnia.<\/p>\n\n\n

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At Konjic, a magnificent farewell ceremony took place with a farewell speech, music, and song. At the head of the train, three series 97 locomotives, known as gear units, were attached. The journey from Podora\u0161ac, across Br\u0111ani, to Bradina involved overcoming a steep incline of 60\u2030. The main pulling locomotive was 97-029, operated by the oldest engineer in these regions, Dragom Nedveda, who was 94 years old, along with fireman Tal Bilanovi\u0107. In fact, this gear locomotive is now housed in the narrow-gauge museum in Frojach, Austria. From Bradina, it was pulled by a series 85 locomotive led by engineer Anton Slatin\u0161ek and fireman Mustafa Mujezinovi\u0107. The last escort in the role of conductor was Milo\u0161 Vujevi\u0107, Nikola Kraji\u0161nik, and Osman Hod\u017ei\u0107. With some delay, this small train finally arrived at the terminal station in Sarajevo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Recent Past<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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As history is being created every day, the Sarajevo \u2013 Plo\u010de railway continues to write its story uninterrupted, so allow us to conclude this small historical adventure with a few more details from recent history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to the war events, on April 3, 1992, at 10:42 AM, the last passenger train from Sarajevo (train number 741 Zagreb \u2013 Plo\u010de<\/em>) arrived at the Plo\u010de station, and on May 7, 1992, at 12:45 PM, the last freight train (number 71004<\/em>) was dispatched towards Sarajevo, after which there was a complete halt of traffic to Mostar and Sarajevo. During the wartime period, local trains operated on the route Plo\u010de \u2013 Metkovi\u0107 \u2013 \u010capljina \u2013 \u017ditomisli\u0107i and back, under the management of Croatian Railways and the Herzegovina Railway (from 1992 until the end of 1998<\/em>), as well as local trains from Pazari\u0107 and later from Ra\u0161telice \u2013 Konjica \u2013 Jablanice and back, under the management of the Railways of Bosnia and Herzegovina.<\/p>\n\n\n

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On July 16, 1996, the first post-war \u201cceremonial\u201d train with diesel traction departed from Sarajevo towards Plo\u010de, marking the beginning of establishing railway traffic on this section. It was not until July 31, 1998, that scheduled train services between Sarajevo and Plo\u010de were officially established through a timetable. On December 15, 2002, the first post-war train was dispatched from Plo\u010de station to Zagreb, thus establishing the line Plo\u010de \u2013 Sarajevo \u2013 Zagreb. This continued until December 15, 2013, when Croatian Railways completely canceled passenger train services from Plo\u010de to Metkovi\u0107, i.e., to the state border with BiH, and trains heading to Sarajevo and Zagreb started departing from \u010capljina station.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The first renovation of the track was carried out from Plo\u010de to \u010capljina in mid-2003. The rehabilitation, or overhaul, of the railway continued at the beginning of 2009 (Bradina \u2013 Konjic<\/em>) and in 2010 (\u010capljina \u2013 Konjic<\/em>), so that by the end of 2010, the track section Plo\u010de \u2013 Sarajevo was officially reopened for traffic. On the section from Bradina to Sarajevo (Bradina \u2013 Miljacka Rasputnica<\/em>), the overhaul of the railway began in October 2015 (October 5, 2015, passenger traffic Sarajevo \u2013 \u010capljina was discontinued<\/em>), and the completion of works (scheduled for mid-April 2016 \u2014 deadline extended due to difficulties in rehabilitating the tunnel “Ivan”<\/em>) and the resumption of passenger service are expected on December 11, 2016, when the new timetable will come into effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, proud of the tradition of the Neretva Railway, we send heartfelt congratulations in honor of this significant anniversary. Today, we fully support this modernized railway as part of a contemporary European transportation network to make it faster, more efficient, safer, and of higher quality, in the hope of a faster industrial development of Bosnia and Herzegovina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related articles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n