Agreements Signed for the Financing and Purchase of 6 Battery Electric Trains and Construction of a Hybrid Charging Station at Kotoriba Station
Today, agreements were signed for the allocation of non-refundable funds from the Modernisation Fund and the purchase of 6 battery electric trains, as well as the construction of a hybrid charging station at Kotoriba station. The project value is 53.6 million euros.
In the presence of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, the project financing agreement was signed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Oleg Butković, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Green Transition, Marija Vučković, the Director of the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, Luka Balen, and the President of the Management Board of HŽ Passenger Transport, Željko Ukić.
The agreement on the purchase of trains and the construction of a charging station was signed by the President of the Management Board of HŽ Passenger Transport, Željko Ukić, and the President of the Management Board of KONČAR – Electric Vehicles, Josip Ninić.
This project will significantly improve railway passenger transport in northern Croatia, where the new trains will operate. They will be put into service in 2028 and early 2029. Following the construction of 6 charging stations for battery trains, this project includes the construction of the first hybrid charging station at Kotoriba station, i.e. a charging station with a photovoltaic power plant and an energy storage system.
On non-electrified lines, battery electric trains will use batteries for propulsion (maximum speed 120 km/h), and on electrified lines, they will use electrical energy from the contact network (maximum speed 160 km/h). Batteries will be charged from the contact network or at charging stations. The trains will have 150 seats. In traffic, it will be possible to couple multiple trains to ensure greater capacity.
By contracting the production of 6 battery electric trains, the modernization of the HŽ Passenger Transport fleet and the further development of sustainable railway transport in the Republic of Croatia continue. The application of green technologies and the replacement of older diesel trains with new battery electric trains will significantly reduce pollution emissions, noise, fuel consumption, and operational costs. The new trains will improve local and regional connectivity and mobility.
