On Thursday, April 25, 2024, the 21st electric train was put into service, marking the completion of the Renewal of Rolling Stock of HŽ Putnički prijevoz with new electric trains project.
The train ran on the route Zagreb-Zabok-Zagreb, and on the first ride they were State Secretary for Railways Alen Gospočić, PhD from the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Director of the Central Finance and Contracting Agency of the European Union Dragan Jelić, Chairman of the Management Board of KONČAR – Elektroindustrija Gordan Kolak, Chairman of the Management Board of KONČAR – Electrična vozila Josip Ninić and Chairman of the Management Board of HŽ Putnički prijevoz Željko Ukić.

- Right now there are 61 new low-floor trains in service, which means we are halfway to achieving our strategic goal of acquiring a fleet of 120 new trains. I would like to thank the manufacturer of these trains, KONČAR – Electrična vozila, whose knowledge produced such a sophisticated product, a train with which we provide quality service. Furthermore, we have introduced free transport for children, pupils and pensioners, as well as affordable transport for full-time university students, thus encouraging the use of rail transport. In addition to trains, a lot is being invested in railway infrastructure, and quality and safety are continuously improving. – State Secretary Gospočić pointed out.

- I must stress it makes me proud and happy that today we complete the EU project within which we launched 21 electric trains in 17 months. This is the first major EU project of HŽ Putnički prijevoz. What’s most valuable is that we provide a quality service for our passengers with these trains. We will continue to do so as the renewal of the rolling stock for non-electrified lines follows, which includes alternatively fueled trains. The first two battery trains will be in service as early as this year. – said the Chairman of the Management Board of HŽPP Ukić.

New trains provide passengers with greater comfort, ensure greater capacity and more reliable transportation.

- We are pleased with the fact that we have delivered all 11 urban-suburban and 10 regional trains within the agreed deadlines and thus successfully continued the project of modernization of the HŽPP fleet in order to improve the quality of Croatian transport connections. These are new trains that result from their own development and represent the most technologically complex Croatian product. This confirms the demonstrated competitiveness of KONČAR compared to the world's largest manufacturers of railway vehicles. Such projects are also proof of the importance of membership in the European Union and the possibility of using available EU funds, which is very important for Croatia. I take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in this complex strategic project and its successful implementation. - said the Chairman of the Management Board of KONČAR Kolak.

The ride was joined by final year students of the Zagreb Technical School undergoing education for railway vocations and pensioners from the Sesvetska Sela Pensioners' Association, as well as Zaprešić mayor Željko Turk and Krapina mayor of Zoran Gregurović. The guests were welcomed at Zabok Station by Zabok mayor Ivan Hanžek.

- There is a lot of construction in my city of Zaprešić. Today, when young people or us older people or someone else is buying an apartment and comes from Zagreb or is on a business trip or traveling from and to their workplace in Zagreb, there are three questions at hand. Naturally, the first one is the price of the apartment, followed by the city area and finally the proximity to the railway station. This actually says it all. The standard of transport and interconnection is something that really determines this part of the ring around Zagreb, both in Zagreb County and, naturally, in Krapina-Zagorje County. – Zaprešić mayor Turk said.

- It was a great pleasure to ride a train after so many years. This train is several steps higher than I remember, but then I am glad there will be battery electric trains running from Zagreb to Zabok and Krapina. This is important for our citizens, not only pupils and university students, but also the many people who work in Zagreb, and the number of passengers traveling by railway will certainly increase. And as the mayor of Krapina, it is extremely important to me that the reconstruction of the railway between Krapina and Zabok has started. – Krapina mayor Gregurović said.

- I am particularly pleased that today we are celebrating the completion of one step in the modernization of passenger transport in our Zagorje area. We also expect the number of trains and timetables to allow young people to stay here regardless of whether they work in Zagreb or Zaprešić, and have the possibility of railway transport. This reduces CO₂ pollution and enables more normal conditions on our roads, which are already overloaded at the moment. – Zabok Mayor Hanžek pointed out.

Urban and suburban trains run in the wider Zagreb area, and regional trains run on routes from Zagreb to Sisak, Novska, Vinkovci, Koprivnica, Zabok, Karlovac, Ogulin and Rijeka.

Purchasing new electric trains improves the quality of transport service, reliability and availability of vehicles with much lower operating costs and the possibility of increasing the frequency of trains, as well as the number of passengers. New trains also contribute to reducing environmental pollution.

The aim of the project is also to improve local and regional connectivity and mobility for better access to the labor market and services in functional centers, as well as to ensure more efficient and competitive railway passenger transport, which will also contribute to the sustainability of the transport system in the Republic of Croatia.

The project is co-financed by the Competitiveness and Cohesion Operational Programme in the amount of 85%. The total estimated value of the project is EUR 171,725,103.72, and the amount of EU support amounts to EUR 116,840,464.13.

Technical characteristics of low-floor electric trains

Trains produced by KONČAR – Electrična vozila reach speeds of up to 160 km/h. Trains are four-part low-floor compositions equipped with ramps for the entry and exit of persons in wheelchairs and a bicycle area, and the entire passenger area is under video surveillance. Regional trains have four doors on each side of the train, seats are made mostly as two-seaters, and have a capacity of 209 seats and 222 standing places. Urban and suburban trains have 8 doors on each side of the train, the seats are made mostly as single seats, and have a capacity of 130 seats and 385 standing places. In addition to the visual and audio announcements at the stations and stops, train passengers are provided with free Internet access (WiFi). The length of the train is 75 m, and in traffic it is possible to connect two to three trains, which ensures greater capacity. The regenerative braking system enables the production of electricity that supplies the train with power, whereby excess energy is returned to the overhead contact line. Regenerative braking achieves a return of electricity of about 26% of the total energy taken from the network, thus achieving greater energy efficiency.