Croatian Railways was founded in 1990 from the former
Yugoslav Railways (JŽ) Zagreb Division, following
Croatia's secession from
Yugoslavia. Its vehicle fleet was initially the one it inherited at the time of the breakup of Yugoslavia, which was then modernized over time. The company ceased to exist in 2006 and its assets were taken over by the newly founded company Hrvatske Željeznice Holding d.o.o. The operation was then provided by the holding's four subsidiaries: •
HŽ Infrastruktura d.o.o. (infrastructure manager) •
HŽ Putnički prijevoz d.o.o. (passenger transport) •
HŽ Cargo d.o.o. (freight transport) • HŽ Vuča vlakova d.o.o. (train towing) In accordance with
EU Directive 91/440 requiring EU member states to separate "the management of railway operation and infrastructure from the provision of railway transport services", on 1 November 2012 HŽ Holding ceased to exist, with the three operational companies becoming completely independent: HŽ Putnički prijevoz, HŽ Infrastruktura, and HŽ Cargo. HŽ Vuča vlakova was incorporated into HŽ Cargo the same day. Croatian Railways'
International Union of Railways (UIC) membership was transferred to all three successors. The
UIC Country Code for Croatia is 78. ==See also==