Koncar Electric Vehicles and HZ Passenger Transport signed a contract in Split on Tuesday for the purchase of six electro-diesel motor trains which will replace the tilting trains running between the cities of Split and Zagreb since 2004.

The contract is valued at €57.3 million and is financed through a European Investment Bank loan.

The trains will improve connectivity between Split and Zagreb and provide more daily departures, ensuring better local and regional connectivity and citizen mobility.

The loan agreement with the EIB for the Croatian railway system revitalisation project was concluded in February. It will finance the purchase of trains, the construction of a technical and logistics centre in Zagreb, and the renovation and construction of local railways, stations, and stops.

The Zagreb-Split railway line is 429 kilometers long, electrified from Zagreb to Ostarije, and non-electrified from Ostarije to Split. During the journey, both electric and diesel power will be used, with high-power traction motors to meet the conditions of the mountainous railway. The trains will have 150 seats, reach speeds of 160 km/h, and allow functional coupling of multiple trains, ensuring greater capacity.

Present at the contract signing were Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butkovic, Physical Planning, Construction, and State Assets Minister Branko Bacic, Tourism Minister Tonci Glavina, and Split-Dalmatia County Prefect Blazenko Boban.

The first new train will be on the track in two years, “then one train will be put into service every month, and by the end of 2026, we will have a fully renewed fleet between the two cities,” said Zeljko Ukic, chairman of the Board of HZ Passenger Transport.

“With the delivery of new vehicles, Koncar continues to develop products and solutions that reduce harmful climate impacts, offer long-term product sustainability, and are focused on future-oriented digitalisation,” said Gordan Kolak, CEO of Koncar Electrical Industries.

Koncar’s trains are among the top high-tech products of Croatian industry, involving a number of Croatian companies, including those from the Dalmatia region, he added.

Minister Butkovic said significant investments were being made in the modernisation of railway infrastructure alongside the acquisition of new trains.

“Today we have 61 new trains in service, and in recent years 33 new trains have been purchased and put into operation. By the end of next year, we will have 70 new trains, more than half of the entire fleet,” he said, adding that Dalmatia has been included in the European transport corridors network for the first time, opening up possibilities for co-financing the modernisation of the Lika railway from EU funds.