Eleven wagons of a freight train derailed this morning at the entrance to the Meja railway station near Rijeka, with the wagons ending up in a ravine. No one was injured in the incident, but significant damage occurred, and rail traffic on the Karlovac–Rijeka line is completely suspended.
According to HŽ Infrastruktura, the derailment of the Transagent operator's train occurred on Saturday, 10 October 2026, at 09:25. The train was carrying grain and heading towards Rijeka. The driver had informed the dispatcher that his brakes had failed and that he was unable to stop the train. As a result of the derailment, 11 wagons ended up in the ravine, while the locomotive and two other wagons remained at the station.
Vinko Boras, an HŽ employee with 40 years of service who has lived in the station house for 28 years, recounted that the locomotive stopped just one metre from his house. Boras immediately ran to the driver, who was uninjured. According to Boras, the train was full of grain, which he assumed was of Ukrainian origin.
The incident occurred at a junction where the line splits into three tracks, a point used for the passing of trains. A section of the track was severely damaged, as were the sleepers. The Meja station is closed to all traffic, and the first phase of repair will involve the initial restoration of the track, to which rail cranes are expected to be deployed.
HŽ Infrastruktura stated that the cause of the incident was not the condition of the railway infrastructure, rejecting claims that the track was not strong enough for the volume and weight of the trains using it. They stated that the condition of the infrastructure is monitored regularly in accordance with legal regulations and established procedures.
Passengers on the Rijeka–Plase route and in the opposite direction are being transported by bus. The director of HŽ Infrastruktura, Dam Lončari, is scheduled to give a statement to the media today at 14:00 at the site of the accident.
