Battery train presented

The world's largest transport industry fair, InnoTrans, which is held in Berlin from 24 to 27 September 2024, brought together over 2,900 exhibitors from 59 countries this year, over 200,000 m2 of exhibition space in 42 exhibition halls and 3,500 meters of railroad tracks. The world's leading trade fair focusing on railway technology and infrastructure, public transport and tunnel interiors and construction provides an impressive overview of the latest trends and technologies in the field of urban mobility.

A battery train produced for HŽ Putnički prijevoz and a measurement train for HŽ Infrastruktura were presented by KONČAR Electric Vehicles in front of more than 160,000 visitors from about 150 countries.

At the presentation of the battery train, the President of the Management Board of KONČAR Electric Vehicles, Josip Ninić, pointed out:

- We are especially proud of our battery motor train, which certainly belongs to a very narrow circle of modern rail solutions in this industry and reflects the rich experience of the KONČAR Group in the development of its own high-tech products, especially in the segment of urban mobility. Such trains will be used to transport passengers on a non-electrified network of railway tracks, and they will be kept in motion by batteries charged exclusively using stable power charging connections; it is also important to point out that we have taken great care of the accompanying infrastructure, which is also produced by KONČAR. We expect the train to be in service in the first quarter of the next year.

Pointing out that these are high-tech products created using the expertise and innovation of domestic experts and the Croatian industry, President of the Management Board of KONČAR Gordan Kolak said:

- With the continuous development of products and solutions in the railway segment, such as electric trams and hybrid and battery trains, as well as the associated charging stations and infrastructure, we are building a future of public transport that will be more sustainable, greener, safer, more comfortable and of overall greater quality. We are grateful to our long-standing partner, HŽ Putnički prijevoz, for the impeccable long-term cooperation, within which we are soon to deliver these new battery trains. Their recognition of KONČAR as an innovative partner for advanced solutions in the green transition is especially important to us in order to successfully deliver high-quality results based on domestic references to the entire EU market.

Mario Šimić, project manager for the procurement of new trains at HŽPP, expanded on the advantages of battery trains and current activities: 

- These trains will be more comfortable; they will offer more and will certainly be a step forward for our passengers. The train has 110 seats and can reach a maximum speed of up to 120 km/h. Passengers will also enjoy free Wi-Fi and bicycle space, and the train will be wheelchair accessible. We are currently building 6 battery charging stations to be installed in stations Split, Osijek, Varaždin, Bjelovar, Virovitica and Pula, and tests are due to begin around the end of the year. After that, the train is entering into service.

On behalf of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, State Secretary Žarko Tušek was also at the presentation of Končar trains, and he concluded by pointing out:

- We have secured the funds, we have the technology and the knowledge. A renaissance of the Croatian railway awaits us in the upcoming years, and we are pleased to include Croatian companies in this railway renaissance.

The procurement of a battery-powered train is financed through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021 – 2026 as part of the project Application of Green Technologies in Passenger Rail Transport.