Croatia orders six new battery-electric trains in €53.6 million green transport project

Battery-electric train (Photo: HŽPP)

ZAGREB, 16 July 2026 (Croatia Week) – Croatia has signed contracts for the purchase of six new battery-electric trains and the construction of a hybrid charging station at Kotoriba railway station in a project worth €53.6 million, HŽ Passenger Transport said in a statement. 

The project is fully financed through the EU Modernisation Fund and is aimed at supporting the decarbonisation of transport, reducing emissions and modernising passenger rail services in northern Croatia.

The contracts were signed on Thursday in the presence of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. The financing agreement was signed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković, Minister of Environmental Protection and Green Transition Marija Vučković, Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund director Luka Balen and HŽ Passenger Transport president Željko Ukić.

The purchase agreement for the trains and the construction of the charging station was signed by Ukić and KONČAR – Electric Vehicles president Josip Ninić.

The new trains are expected to enter service in 2028 and early 2029, operating on routes across northern Croatia.

Unlike conventional trains powered solely by diesel or dependent exclusively on electrified lines, the new battery-electric trains will be able to operate on both electrified and non-electrified railway lines. This will allow passengers to travel on certain routes without changing trains.

(Photo: HŽPP)

On non-electrified lines, the trains will operate using batteries at speeds of up to 120 km/h. On electrified lines, they will draw power from the overhead contact network and reach speeds of up to 160 km/h. The batteries will be charged either from the contact network or at dedicated charging stations.

Each train will have 150 seats, while multiple units can be coupled to increase capacity when required.

The project also includes the construction of Croatia’s first hybrid charging station for battery-electric trains at Kotoriba railway station. The facility will combine a photovoltaic power plant with an energy storage system.

“This is very good for the overall process of decarbonisation in the transport sector, which is a major strategic goal for Croatia and the European Union,” Prime Minister Plenković said at the signing ceremony.

He described the project as an example of how funding generated through the EU emissions trading system and channelled through the Modernisation Fund could be used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency and support the competitiveness of the Croatian economy.

Transport Minister Oleg Butković said the latest agreement represented a further step in the renewal of Croatia’s passenger rail fleet.

Croatia currently has 70 new low-floor trains in service, while a total of 25 additional new trains have now been contracted, he said. More than €1.5 billion is currently being invested in the reconstruction and construction of new railway infrastructure across the country.

Butković also highlighted the importance of the trains being produced in Croatia, saying that investment in railways was also strengthening domestic industry.

Environment and Green Transition Minister Marija Vučković said the purchase of the six trains was fully financed through the Modernisation Fund and represented an important contribution to reducing pollution and decarbonising transport.

(Photo: HŽPP)

She also said that Croatia’s future climate social plan envisaged funding for 30 additional new trains and three charging stations as part of efforts to address the risks of energy and transport poverty.

HŽ Passenger Transport president Željko Ukić said the greatest advantage of battery-electric trains was their ability to operate across both electrified and non-electrified sections of the railway network.

The new trains will be accessible to passengers with disabilities and designed to accommodate cyclists. They will also feature free internet access, device charging points and passenger information systems.

The project is expected to improve local and regional connectivity while reducing emissions, noise, fuel consumption and operating costs compared with older diesel trains.

KONČAR said the trains were being developed, designed and manufactured in Croatia, representing a further technological step for the group in the development of green and advanced rail technologies.

The company said the project went beyond the delivery of trains to include a complete energy solution combining rail transport, renewable energy generation and energy storage.

The agreement marks another stage in the modernisation of the HŽ Passenger Transport fleet and Croatia’s transition towards more sustainable rail transport.