ZAGREB, 3 August, 2022 - The Končar - Electric Vehicles company and Croatian Railways - Passenger Transport (HŽPP) on Wednesday signed an annex to a contract for the manufacture of seven diesel-electric motor trains, HŽPP said.
The manufacture of the seven new trains will be financed by a EUROFIMA loan of €31 million.
The diesel-electric motor trains will operate in regional transport.
The first of the seven trains should be delivered in 24 months, after which delivery of one train per month is expected.
The new diesel-electric trains are needed to upgrade services on non-electrified lines.
The new diesel-electric motor trains will be three-part low-floor trains with a maximum speed of 120 km/h, equipped with wheelchair ramps and space for bicycles. The trains will have a capacity of 167 seats and 175 standing places and will be equipped with heating and cooling and video surveillance. Stops will be announced on displays and via loudspeakers, as passengers will be provided with free WiFi access.
The State Secretary at the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Alen Gospočić, stated that the ministry and government are focused on modernising the railway system and that in the next ten years significant funds will be invested in the renovation of the rolling stock and railway infrastructure.
The President of the HŽPP Management Board, Željko Ukić, said that six new diesel-electric trains are currently in operation.
"With these trains, we will ensure lower operating costs and contribute to reducing pollution. Given that 63% of the lines in Croatia are not electrified, there are plans to purchase additional trains for these lines through the 2021-2027 Competitiveness and Cohesion Operational Programme," said Ukić.
HŽ Passenger Transport currently has 40 new trains in operation. As part of the project to upgrade its rolling stock, it intends to purchase 21 electric trains that will be 85% co-financed from the 2014-2020 Competitiveness and Cohesion Operational Programme.
In addition, as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Program 2021-2026, HŽPP will acquire two prototype battery trains that will run on non-electrified tracks and six stable energy connections for charging drive batteries. During this and the next two years, new trains will be continuously manufactured, and by mid-2025, 70 of them will be running on the tracks, the HŽPP management said.
