July the 18th, 2022 - One ''fast'' Split-Osijek train ended up arriving much later than it should have done, and not because of technical issues, but because the dispatcher allegedly fell asleep on the job.

There was another story fairly recently about a train arriving to Zagreb late because the driver simply didn't bother to turn up to work that day, so this shouldn't come as much of a surprise, although you have to admit it's quite amusing.

Croatia isn't really known for its trains being amazing, or even half decent to be perfectly honest. They often arrive late, the system is ancient, and it often seems like what would be an absolutely golden opportunity when it comes to tourism and indeed just regular transport, Croatian trains are lagging more than just a little bit.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, according to a report from RTL, the so-called fast Split-Osijek train was left at a standstill at the signal for as long as 42 minutes until the dispatcher finally woke up from his slumber.

The train arrived in front of Sveti Ivan Zabno and stopped at the signal, i.e. traffic light and waited... Some minutes passed, 42 of them in total, and while the dispatcher was sleeping, the train was still sitting and waiting. The aforementioned portal writes that they tried to call the sleeping dispatcher on his mobile phone, but to no avail, until the station master knocked on his door. Even he had to knock for a while for him to wake up from his deep sleep and - finally let the train move forward.

The train thus stood at the entrance signal from 07:40 until 08:22, simply waiting for its instructor to wake up.

Croatian Railways (HZ) has so far only confirmed that the train did indeed come to a halt at the entrance signal of the Sveti Ivan Zabno station, but they didn't want to comment on what exactly happened, obviously with good reason, so an inquiry was also sent to Sveti Ivan Zabno station.

"On July the 17th, 2022, from 07:54 to 08:20 on the L214 Gradec-Sveti Ivan Zabno line, Split-Osijek train 1783 stopped for 26 minutes at the entrance signal of the Sveti Ivan Zabno station. The reason for the train stopping was a personal mistake by the train dispatcher working at Sveti Ivan Zabno station. Due to the above, the proper procedure will be conducted against the aforementioned worker in accordance with the Labour Regulations and the Collective Agreement of HZ Infrastruktura d.o.o. The worker will be warned in writing about this omission with the possibility of terminating his employment contract. In addition to the above, the worker is being referred to the Commission for Damages due to the delayed train," the station announced, adding that the worker was not intoxicated on the job.

They admitted, therefore, that the Split-Osijek train was delayed due to an oversight by the aforementioned worker, but they didn't admit that he fell asleep. But what about the passengers and their rights in such situations? There were 96 of them sitting on the train.

"According to EC Regulation number 1371/2007 on the rights and obligations of passengers using rail transport, the passengers are entitled to compensation for delays in the following cases - for delays of 60 to 119 minutes, compensation is paid in the amount of 25 percent of the ticket price, and for delays longer than 120 minutes, compensation is issued to pay for 50 percent of the ticket price", Croatian Railways told RTL.hr.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

May the 31st, 2022 - A direct Budapest-Split train is set to run as of the 10th of June, 2022, and affordable prices will certainly encourage Hungarian citizens to travel the Croatia's second largest city.

As Morski writes, Hungarians will once again be able to hop on the direct Budapest-Split this summer. As of June the 10th, the Adria InterCity night line will be introduced, which will connect these two European cities three times a week during the very height of the summer season, while it will run twice a week before and after the season, Hungarian Railways announced.

The direct Budapest-Split train will run from the City of Budapest on Tuesdays and Fridays from the 10th to the 19th of June and from the 29th to the 24th of August, and from the City of Split on Wednesdays and Saturdays. During the high season, from June the 19th to August the 29th, it will depart from Budapest on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and from Split on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The trip will last for fourteen hours and will mostly be done at night. Passengers will be offered the ability to sleep the night in air-conditioned cars, and according to Hungarian Railways, the train will depart from Budapest at 18:45. They will depart from Split at 18:27, and arrive back in Budapest the next day at 09:35.

The direct Budapest-Split train line, they say, is tailored to all requirements. The sleeping car has cabins with four or six beds, while solo passengers, couples and smaller families can spend the night in smaller cabins with one to three beds.

This train is also equipped with a restaurant wagon, which will be open throughout the entire duration of the trip, and all passengers will receive a welcome package upon boarding, while a hot drink and breakfast are all included in the initial ticket price.

Passengers will be taken care of during the trip by the train's staff, who, they say, will offer additional food and drinks at reasonable prices. The price of the trip for an adult starts from 43 euros, and for children aged 6-14 from 15 euros. For a night in a double cabin you need to pay 69 euros per person and per direction, while solo travellers can have their own cabin for 99 euros.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

October the 22nd, 2021 - Fancy some European train trips? Now you can hop aboard and do just that, and for free, thanks to a very popular EU-funded experience which is now back.

If there's one thing that the European Union (EU) does that just about everyone loves, it's the allowance of freedom of movement. Travel and tourism was sadly halted during the coronavirus pandemic, and now with the advent of the vaccine, things are beginning to resemble some form of normality as we once knew it, slowly. The much loved DiscoverEU experience is now making a very welcome return, and 450 free European train trips are on offer to youth living in the Republic of Croatia!

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, following a short break due to the global coronavirus pandemic, applications for the DiscoverEU experience, an initiative of the European Union that gives eighteen-year-olds the opportunity to travel by train around Europe for free, have reopened. As many as 60,000 tickets are being distributed as part of it, and 450 of them are available in and to Croatia.

Ticket winners from Croatia or elsewhere can travel alone or in a group with four other friends, and the trip can last for up to thirty days, allowing for a real experience of what the member states of the EU have to offer in terms of the broadening of horizons. The applications are simple to fill in and open from the 12th to the 26th of October 2021, and are done through the European Youth Portal.

This year, young people aged 19 or 20 can also apply for free European train travel via DiscoverEU in order to give them the opportunity to do what they had a right to do when they were a year or two younger, but were interrupted by the global public health crisis we've all been engulfed in.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.