Truck Damages Cables, Zagreb Tram Traffic Disrupted

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The news in Croatian

1. oštetiti
   nanijeti štetu ili kvar nečemu tako da više ne radi ili ne izgleda kao prije ↩︎
2. tramvajski
   koji se odnosi na tramvaj ili tramvaje ↩︎
3. kabal  (m.)
   debela električna žica, često s više malih žica unutra, koja prenosi struju ili signale ↩︎
4. linija  (f.)
   put ili trasa kojom redovito vozi javni prijevoz, npr. tramvaj ili autobus ↩︎
5. kolodvor  (m.)
   mjesto gdje polaze i dolaze vlakovi ili autobusi, s peronima i zgradom za putnike ↩︎
6. gužva  (f.)
   situacija kada je na nekom mjestu mnogo ljudi ili vozila pa se teško prolazi ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: What did the truck damage, and where did this happen in Zagreb?

Question 2: How did the tram lines change because of the damage?

Vocabulary

Croatian	English
oštetiti	to damage
tramvajski	tram
kabal  (m.)	cable
linija  (f.)	route / line
kolodvor  (m.)	station / bus station
gužva  (f.)	crowd / traffic jam

Read the full story

Tram services in Zagreb were disrupted on Savska cesta (Savska Street) around 12:40, after a cargo truck reportedly damaged the overhead power lines near Crnatkova Street. The incident caused a temporary suspension and diversion of several tram lines in one of the city’s key traffic corridors.

According to information from local transport authorities, the truck’s movement led to damage of the tram power supply cables. As a result, trams could not continue along the affected part of Savska cesta, and a line of vehicles formed while services were being reorganised. There were no early reports of injuries, but the disruption created delays for many passengers travelling through this central area of Zagreb.

In response, the city’s tram operator introduced a series of temporary route changes. Line 2 continued to run from Savišće to the Main Railway Station (Glavni kolodvor), then via Zrinjevac and Ban Jelačić Square to Črnomerec, returning by the same route. This allowed passengers to reach the city centre and western districts despite the blockage on Savska cesta.

Line 4 operated from Dubec following its usual path only as far as the junction of Draškovićeva and Branimirova streets. From there, instead of heading directly along Savska cesta, trams were redirected via Branimirova Street, the Central Bus Station (Autobusni kolodvor), Ulica grada Vukovara, and then down Savska cesta to Savski most, before returning the same way.

Line 9 services from Borongaj also ran normally only up to the Draškovićeva/Branimirova junction. From there they followed an alternative route: Branimirova – Central Bus Station – Ulica grada Vukovara – Savska cesta towards Ljubljanica. This helped maintain a connection between eastern neighbourhoods and the western part of the city.

Lines 12 and 14 travelled on their regular routes to Draškovićeva Street, then followed the same detour as other affected lines: Branimirova – Central Bus Station – Ulica grada Vukovara – Savska cesta to Ljubljanica. By rerouting multiple lines along this corridor, the operator aimed to keep the public transport network functioning, even though normal traffic on Savska cesta was interrupted.

Line 13 from Kvaternik Square (Kvaternikov trg) kept to its usual path only up to the Ilica/Frankopanska intersection. From there, trams ran along Ilica and Republic of Austria Street (Ulica Republike Austrije) to reach Zapadni kolodvor (the West Railway Station), instead of continuing towards the area affected by the damaged cables.

Line 17 from Borongaj was also adjusted. It followed its standard route to Trg žrtava fašizma (Square of the Victims of Fascism) and then continued via Ulica kneza Mislava, Branimirova, the Central Bus Station, Ulica grada Vukovara and Savska cesta towards Prečko. This detour allowed line 17 to stay in service while avoiding the exact section where the power lines were damaged.

Local media described a scene of congested tram traffic and a column of vehicles along Savska cesta as services waited for clearance and adjustments to the network. While some reports highlighted the inconvenience for passengers and the visual impression of “chaos”, officials focused on restoring power and adjusting routes so that most lines could continue running, albeit more slowly and on changed paths.

By early afternoon, technicians were working on repairing the overhead wires, and the public transport company was informing passengers about the changed routes. Different news outlets agreed that the truck’s contact with the cables was the cause of the disruption, but they offered varying levels of detail on how long full normal service might take to restore. All sources, however, indicated that tram operations were maintained through diversions rather than being completely suspended across the city.

Info: ‘Croatian Learner News’ is a service from ‘Let’s Learn Croatian’, a language school dedicated to teaching Croatian through various online Croatian courses. Through this service, we share updates, resources and information that support learners at different stages of their studies.