This case study report presents the cross-border public service Budapest Deli – Zagreb Glavni kolodvor (railway). 

It explores the business model of this service, including its governance arrangements, operational provisions to develop the service and address demand, and its territorial scope. This case study focuses on the connection between two national capitals quite far from each other, with a service that passes through a very rural area. The direct border area lacks cross-border mobility connections and local demand is very low. So the service strongly relies on demand from the two capital cities and people who want to access the Croatian coast. Due to seasonality and uncertainties of its sustainability, this case lacks transferable good practices. The report addresses the key obstacles that the service faces and suggests solutions to them. The concluding section then reflects upon the lessons learnt from this case study. 

This case study report is part of a series of 31 case studies developed in the framework of the study ‘Providing public transport in cross-border regions – Mapping of existing services and legal obstacles’, completed by Spatial Foresight in cooperation with TCP international, TRT trasporti e territorio and EureConsult for the European Commission’s DG REGIO.