After the railway workers’ unions sent a dramatic letter in which, among other things, they stated that the safety of passenger and industrial railway traffic is at risk, the Railway Administration of FBiH denied it today.
Namely, after the union’s letter, Raport sent an inquiry to the Railways of the FBiH with questions about whether this is true and, if so, why the management of this public company did not inform passengers and companies about it and what they did about it.
We didn’t get answers to our questions, but we were forwarded a statement from FBiH Railways in which they actually say that rail traffic is safe, but… They then stated that further safety is questionable – because they don’t have the money they requested from the FBiH Government.
“In some parts, the traffic takes place with the introduction of light runs as a preventive measure, in order to harmonize with the achieved level of maintenance of the railway infrastructure. The current level of maintenance is a consequence of the lack of adequate allocation for ongoing maintenance and support for investments, which leads to further degradation of the railway infrastructure.
On November 12, 2025, the Management of JP Railways of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina submitted a detailed and reasoned budget request for 2026, which clearly established the minimum funds necessary to preserve traffic safety and the basic functionality of the railway system. After the adopted Draft Budget of the FBiH for 2026 did not take into account these needs, on January 6, 2026, the Administration sent an official letter to the Government of the Federation of BiH and the competent ministries, warning that the continuation of inadequate funding and budget restrictions will endanger the entire railway system in the Federation of BiH. In the letter, it was particularly emphasized that the railway infrastructure is the property of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that the founder, in accordance with the applicable laws and strategic documents, is obliged to provide funds for its regular maintenance, renovation and development”, stated the FBiH Railways.
In the end, they again called on the Government and parliamentarians to please them when adopting the budget.
However, according to the information of the Report, the critical situation in the FBiH Railways has reasons elsewhere. The letter sent by the union and this attitude of the administration, according to insider information of the Report, are actually a trick of NS and HDZ cadres who are trying to put pressure on the FBiH Government, which they expect to save and cover up the incompetence of their cadres.
Namely, as we have learned, the FBiH Railways received 16 million KM from the Government of FBiH last year for investments in infrastructure. The Railway Administration, led by cadres of Our Party and HDZ, did nothing.
In addition, the Government is giving them an additional 20 million for investments this year – which is a record sum. In addition, they will receive 24 million KM, which they are legally entitled to for infrastructure, and an additional 10 million for tying up the seniority of employees.
However, the disastrous results of the Željeznica administration led by Mirza Hadžibegić do not end there.
In the middle of last year, the report wrote that this company, after a number of years of positive business, was falling into a deep red. At that time, the half-year forecast was a minus of 20 million KM. According to the information we received, the FBiH Railways ended last year with a loss of 36 million KM!
In addition, this management has not managed to secure a single new contract that would bring revenue to the company. The big business of transporting coal to Serbia was lost.
But in the meantime, this administration managed to lay off more than 100 workers, and according to our information, more than half are in the administration.
It is illogical considering that the company itself states in the statement they sent us that the volume of work has fallen.
“The volume of goods transportation, primarily to and from large industrial systems, has decreased in the last 10 years by more than 30% (in 2017, 8.8 million tons were transported, compared to 5.8 million tons in 2025). Consequently, the income generated from the transportation of goods and passengers is not sufficient to compensate for insufficient investment in the Railways,” they stated.
Perhaps this kind of business of the Railways should not be surprising when it is known that the members of the Railway Management do not meet the requirements.
A few days ago, the report questioned the appointment of the management of this company, and according to unofficial information, POSKOK got involved in this issue and excluded the necessary or disputed documentation..
