Train Travel
Bosnia & Herzegovina is split into two as regards Railway operations with Zeljeznice Federacije Bosne I Hercegovine (ZFBH) operating everything in the east out of Sarajevo and Zeljeznice Republike Srpske (ZRS) operating in the north towards the Croatian borders. There is a cross- border train operating from Sarajevo to Zagreb in Croatia which undergoes a loco change at Doboj where ZFBH hand over to ZRS and vice versa coming from Zagreb. You can use the ZRS online timetable or ZFBH online timetable to plan your trip, these only list departures and arrivals from stations though. Full ZRS & ZFBH timetables can be purchased at major stations in Bosnia or ordered from Fahrplancenter before your trip.
A comprehensive list of both passenger and freight operators in Bulgaria can be found on the helpful Railfan Europe website’s Bosnia-Herzegovina page.
Train times and Tickets
Booking tickets for travel within Bosnia can be done at most BDZ stations. Tickets are not available online yet. If you only require reservations for either Interrail, Eurail or railway staff passes then this can be done via phone to the DB office in London for the cross border train from Sarajevo to Zargeb.
If choosing to use an Interrail pass, either for just within Bosnia, or to pass through Bulgaria, all the relevant details on the passes, including the different types/lengths of validity available, can be found on the InterRail website.
For those travelling from outside Europe then the Eurail Pass is your ticket to Europe, details of which can be found on EU Rail’s website.
Also available for travel in Bosnia is the Balkan Flexi Pass which is valid in Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey & Bosnia. Periods of validity range from 5, 7, 10 or 15 days in 1 month but there is a limitation in that if you buy the pass in Bosnia it is only valid in Bosnia for one return journey to/from the border; this is the same whichever country you buy it in!
Finally travel in Europe can be made a lot simpler by using the very, very, helpful smartphone app courtesy of Eurail. This app is available both online and offline and is always up to date (well it has been for the countries I’ve used it in; including for any planned engineering works); for me it was an essential part of my travel in Europe. This app is linked to the Hafas system, which countries like Germany, Austria & Switzerland use for their train planning online tool. Eurail has done what the individual countries haven’t though and made it available offline.
For the Rail Enthusiast
A comprehensive list of Bosnian Locomotives by their respective railway system can be found on the Railfaneurope website’s Bosnia-Herzegovina page. This also explains a bit about the various operators of the network and how they have amalgamated over the years.
A detailed map/atlas of the South East Europe & Turkey Railway Systems, which includes Bosnia, is available from European Railway Atlas.
A ZFBH Network Statement is available and does have handy maps and mileages within it. Unfortunately ZRS don’t seem to have one online.
Travelling round Eastern Europe had been a lot easier than I’d expected when doing it for the first time in 2014 so a return trip was always on the cards; and in a similar fashion to the trip the previous year, Eastern Europe was used as a gateway to get into Greece for the PTG Read the Rest…