The decision to gradually begin loosening the stringent anti-epidemic measures currently in place in three phases has been accepted as Croatia's coronavirus infection cases continue to dwindle. Just how will the Zagreb public transport company, ZET, re-launch its operations?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 25th of April, 2020, pursuant to the decision of the Government of the Republic of Croatia on the reintroduction of public city and suburban lines, ZET, the Zagreb public transport company, will re-launch 111 bus routes starting on Monday, April the 27th, 2020, which will operate according to a new, customised timetable.

Due to the damage caused by the recent Zagreb earthquake, established bus lines operating along the tracks of what are otherwise night-time tram routes will continue to bypass Ban Josip Jelačić Square.

Instead of trams, the operation of which is yet to be re-introduced, there will continue to be bus lines operating along the night tram routes (31 Crnomerec - Savski most, 32 Prečko - Borongaj, 33 Gračansko Dolje - Savišće and 34 Ljubljanica - Dubec).

Tram lines will be gradually re-established, depending on the safety assessments and the situation on the tracks they travel along.

According to the recommendations of epidemiologists at the Croatian Institute of Public Health, passengers using Zagreb public transport services should continue to actively maintain a physical distance of at least one metre. It is also advisable to wear protective masks and disinfect your hands before boarding the bus.

ZET will continue to disinfect its vehicles three times a day as they did before lockdown was enforced, and regularly clean and ventilate the vehicles before and after they're driven, as well as when the buses stop at stations, all in order to reduce the possibility of the spread of the new coronavirus, COVID-19.

Transportation will be charged for all bus routes starting on Monday and tickets will be available for purchase at the usual points of sale and from the driver. Accordingly, travel using the Zagreb public transport company ZET doesn't require passes issued by the Civil Protection Staff, but merely valid travel tickets as was the case before the pandemic hit Croatia.

Once again, it is of paramount importance that passengers continue to closely follow the directions and instructions of epidemiologists to protect their own health and that of others.

The new driving regime will continue to apply and its continuation as such will depend entirely on the development of the epidemiological situation and further guidance from the competent authorities.

Please click here for a list of bus routes that will be available as of Monday, as well as their accompanying valid schedules.

Here are the lines that will not operate:

As of Monday, April the 27th, the bus lines 104, 108, 111, 114, 140, 145, 150, 165, 169, 172, 174, 175, 176, 177, 182, 236, 268, 290, 302, 303, 304. 305, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 313, 315, 319, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 330 and 335 will still not be operation.

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A brand new ZET line has been introduced in the City of Zagreb which will allow for the easier and more simple transport of passengers for a much longer distance across the city without the need to change buses.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 2nd of March, 2020, the new ZET line is nineteen kilometres long and has as many as thirty stops along its route.

A new ZET line (bus) 235 (Dubrava - Trnava - Kozari Bok) has now officially been put into service in Zagreb. The new line is being introduced owing to the needs of the residents of these areas for increased traffic connections with other parts of the city.

One single bus will be deployed on the line, which runs every sixty minutes on weekdays, as well as on Saturdays and Sundays.

The timetable of the new ZET line can be read by clicking here.

The 235 bus will depart from platform 4 of the Dubrava terminal and stop at a further thirty places along the nineteen-kilometre city route.

The new bus line's route:

Terminal Dubrava – Ulica Dubrava – Dankovečka ulica – Koledinečka ulica – Klin ulica – Čulinečka cesta – Ulica Resnički gaj I. – Ulica Trnava I – Trnava (okretište) – Ulica Resnički put – Vukomerečka cesta – Ulica Siniše Glavaševića – Slavonska avenija – Koledovčina ulica – Servisna ulica – Kozari Bok (the final stop).

On the way back it will operate as follows: Kozari Bok (the first stop) – Ulica II. Resnički put – Slavonska avenija – Ulica Siniše Glavaševića – Vukomerečka cesta – Ulica Resnički put – Trnava – Ulica Trnava I – Ulica Resnički gaj I. – Čulinečka cesta – Ulica Kneza Branimira – Ulica Dragutina Mandla – Terminal Dubrava.

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It seems that ZET's attempt to become a bit more environmentally friendly has fallen flat on its face, at least for now. The twelve electric cars that the Zagreb transport company procured to transport passengers around the Croatian capital have averaged in at a mere one passenger per day.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 15th of November, 2019, ZET also warned that since last December, the twelve electric cars have been driving in Zagreb's Lower Town (Donji grad) only, while in Gornji grad (Upper Town) they have been operating since July, while around the Jarun lake area, they have been operating "recently".

According to ZET's data on the tickets they sold to tourists for taking them on tours around the city using electric vehicles, they sold just under 400 tickets, which means that the twelve "e-city tour vehicles" have been driving just one passenger each day in the centre of the Croatian capital since last December, meaning that since these golf cars were put into circulation, they've earned four thousand kuna.

According to what ZET told Vecernji list, they're still not operating these vehicles in Gornji and Donji grad on a daily basis ''because they don't drive in adverse weather conditions'' and because of “the frequent special traffic regulations in the city centre, such as those created to allow for sporting, cultural and other events''. Despite what seem like excuses, these e-vehicles are still very much a hit, at least according to ZET.

''With the introduction of these electric vehicles, the tourist offer of Zagreb was further enriched, which has been confirmed by the praise and positive comments from numerous guests,'' they claim.

''Following the technical evaluation of tourist lines so far, preconditions have been created for intensifying the service starting with Advent, while in 2020, additional service development and connections, ie, integration with our other tourist lines, are expected,'' the Zagreb public transport company points out.

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A quick heads up if you live in or are visiting Zagreb this weekend as part of the Croatian capital city will remain without trams over the next couple of days.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 4th of October, 2019,  the number 31 night bus will run as usual tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, but the heavily used tram lines on which number 6 and 7 run are going to be changing.

Due to the works taking place on Most Mladosti (Bridge of Youth), Novi Zagreb is set to remain without trams this coming weekend.

As a result, the line of number 607 will be extended, which will operate along the following section: Savski most - Avenija Dubrovnik - Držićeva - Vukovarska, and the updated temporary timetable with more detail on that can be on the ZET website. As previously mentioned, the number 31 night bus will run as usual tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, but tram lines 6 and 7 will alter.

Tram number 6 will thus operate along the following section: Črnomerec - Ban Josip Jelačić Square - Main Station (Glavni Kolodvor) - Bus Station (Autobusni Kolodvor) - Heinzelova - Žitnjak. Line number 7, however, will run along the Dubec - Dubrava - Kvaternikov Square - Bus Station (Autobusni Kolodvor) - Heinzelova - Žitnjak route.

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As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 16th of September, 2019, the idea, according to the City of Zagreb's administration, has already been decided upon, and now the likely incredible amount of paperwork on the matter, worth about 300 thousand kuna, must be resolved.

First, they will build an additional line, expand car parking availability, and then ''pull'' a new track from Florijan Andrašec street to Trešnjevački trg (square), Vecernji list writes.

If they manage to hurry up with the project, it could be the first few brand new metres of track to be constructed in the City of Zagreb since the year 2000, when the last piece of track that was constructed reached Prečko, but for now, Zagreb is just looking for a company to conduct the main part of the implementation project for the reconstruction of the track on Vukovarska street along the aforementioned part of the tram tracks.

The work would involve about five hundred metres or so of road. The decision, according to Zagreb's city government, has already been made, and now the previously mentioned papers, all of which are worth around 300,000 kuna in total, must be deal with and things resolved in order to obtain the necessary building permit for the planned works.

Following the issuing of the building permit, the works will then take place in three phases, and in the first phase an additional track will be constructed on the south side of Vukovarska street. It will also house a new southern pavement/walkway and an accompanying bike path, as well as move some of the utility infrastructure installations.

After that, during the second phase of the works, a car park will be built, which will be expanded by 35 additional parking spaces. The third phase will be the construction of a new water supply system.

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As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 20th of August, 2019, Zagreb's electric tram (ZET) has finally begun with the renewal of existing or the creation of new public transport subscription tickets for elementary and secondary school students as well as for students for the new 2019/2020 academic year.

ZET has also recalled the fact that last year's student subscription cards will remain valid until September the 30th this year.

It has also been noted that student statuses will remain valid until October the 31st this year, and further profile extensions for all user groups are a prerequisite for purchasing monthly or annual coupons.

Students who already have a ZET card don't need to go and create a new one, but they do need to extend their student status at any ZET sales point, with a certified request form, and students can now extend their student status based on an electronic base (ISAK).

Status renewal will not be charged, nor will a new photo be required (provided the photo is age appropriate and still looks like you currently do), but the information on the existing card of the customer will be updated upon arrival at the ZET point of sale.

Following numerous international modern business models in public transport, with the aim of raising the overall standards for the City of Zagreb's many students, it will also be possible to significantly extend the existing public transport subscription cards, which will be available for all ZET sales outlets, as well as from ZET's contract partners' newsstands and kiosks (Tisak and iNews).

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Are you a user of Zagreb's public transport system? We recently updated you on the fact that you can now use Google Maps to see whether or not your ZET bus is going to be late, just how late it's going to be, and whether or not it's wiser to take another, otherwise longer route to arrive at your desired destination.

Whether it's buses or trams that you use for your daily commute, you'll know that the Croatian capital city's system isn't perfect, but a new investment from ZET is set to ensure a reportedly significant improvement for passengers.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 1st of July, 2019, even on existing ZET screens that can be seen dotted along the pavements next to the city's tram lines, the information on what's coming and when isn't always accurate, but passengers can at least (usually) get a general idea of when their bus or tram is set to arrive at their stop.

ZET has announced that they're working on improving this, and that the Zagreb company's brand new displays will be set up at all of the city's tram stops, and they're now in the process of getting even more of them.

As Vecernji list writes, the sixteen brand new ''passenger information display" systems will be set up at stops in the city where it's been uncomfortably known for a while that Zagreb's residents have been able to do little else other than speculate when their bus or tram will finally arrive.

Each of the new ZET displays will cost almost 12,000 each, and it has been estimated that all sixteen new display systems will cost 190,000 kuna.

The information screens themselves, at least according to what has been stated in the tender used to select a contractor, should arrive in Zagreb within two months, meaning that after the summer, they should definitely be fully in place and operational.

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The general aim is to modernise and improve the quality of Zagreb's tram network, and this particular project does not include the procurement of more trams which is a move that was announced a long time ago.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes on the 30th of May, 2019, a total of 210 million kuna from EU funds and a small part of the Croatian state budget will fund the reconstruction and the modernisation of part of the capital's tram infrastructure, and the Zagreb Electric tram (ZET) project should be completed by 2023, as was confirmed by the Ministry of Regional Development and EU funds.

The general objective of the project is to modernise and improve the quality of Zagreb's existing tram network in order to properly maintain a good level of public transport services for the City of Zagreb at the EU level regarding safety, reliability, accessibility of persons with disabilities and a significant reduction of negative CO2 emissions.

"The reconstruction of the tram infrastructure includes eleven tramway sections in the length of 8,194 metres, as well as track dismantling, track supply and installation, cable drainage and similar works. The reconstruction and modernisation of these correctional stations will include the procurement and installation of new equipment, works on the reconstruction of the objects themselves and the installation of a cable network,'' the competent ministry explained.

Along with the works, a study on the development of the tram traffic of the City of Zagreb is planned, which aims to analyse the overall state of the tram infrastructure and to introduce measures and targets for its improvement, which should ultimately lead to new projects to be funded from EU funds. Of course, the plan is to fund the project's self-promotion through the development of a communication strategy, the visual identity of the project, slogans and the promotion of activities to further highlight the visibility of the project itself.

As stated in the call for co-financing of the modernisation of Zagreb's tram infrastructure, the maximum amount of grants that can be awarded for the project proposal is up to 210 million kuna, with total available grants from the Cohesion Fund standing at 178.5 million kuna. The percentage of co-financing of eligible costs from Cohesion Fund resources can be up to 85 percent and the mandatory share of national co-financing of eligible costs of at least 15 percent will be provided from the state budget.

The pre-defined applicant is ZET, who has already applied for the call, as was confirmed by that particular Zagreb city company.

For ZET, the modernisation of the capital's trams will ultimately result in an increase in the number of passengers using public transport. As we've come to know, this call refers only to the infrastructure, not to the procurement of trams which has been being discussed in Zagreb for several years now. Whether or not this project is being eagerly awaited by Croatian companies was recently confirmed in a conversation between Poslovni Dnevnik and Darinko Bago, President of the Končar Group's management board.

As it is known, Končar has developed trams, and in Zagreb, 142 of Končar's trams are already in operation. As Bago pointed out, according to city studies, Zagreb should acquire more than sixty new trams, replacing the old and overworked trams that have been driving around the city for around half a century.

''We're very interested in that," Bago stated.

The time frame in which this project can be expected hasn't yet been revealed.

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Click here for the original article by Marija Crnjak for Poslovni Dnevnik