The manufacture of the new trains is being co-financed from the Competitiveness and Cohesion Operational Program 2014-2020 in the amount of 85% or HRK 880.3 million, while the total estimated value of the project is HRK 1.29 billion.
The project is the continuation of the modernisation of HŽPP's rolling stock with 11 electric trains for suburban and 10 electric trains for regional transport.
The contract for 21 electrically powered trains was signed with the Končar Electric Vehicles company on 17 November 2020. The deadline for delivery is December 2023 and the first train for suburban transport should be running in December this year.
In addition, the procurement of two prototypes of battery trains, worth HRK 100 million, is planned through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO) and a procurement procedure for 20 new trains for Zagreb and ten for Osijek should be announced soon, Butković said.
He said that the reconstructed Zaprešić-Zabok and Savski Marof-Zagreb rail lines, valued at €100 million, should be completed by the end of July and the Vinkovci-Vukovar rail line is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Končar's Gordan Kolak said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to a significant increase in raw material prices, which complicated production. "In this context, we also have significant challenges in these projects because prices have risen significantly compared to the time when they were agreed," Kolak said.
Prices have increased throughout Europe and in all of Končar's export markets, and the company is in talks with its clients to find solutions to their mutual satisfaction, said Kolak.
The President of the HŽPP Management Board, Željko Ukić, and Minister Butković responded to questions related to frequent delays in train travel and both called for "a little patience."
Ukić said that, given the numerous railway infrastructure reconstruction projects, it is extremely difficult to regulate passenger traffic, and efforts are being made to maintain the quality of transport as high as possible.
"There are long delays. Travel by train is not the same as on the motorway, but these investments will raise the quality of this sector to a satisfactory level," said Butković, emphasising that in the next ten years the greatest emphasis will be on investment in railway modernisation with around €3.5 billion euros of investment planned by 2030.
In that context, he underscored the need to amend the law on public procurement as projects are often slowed down by numerous complaints.
"We cannot influence complaints, but we need to do everything in our power to reduce the number of complaints to a minimum," Butković said.
He added that due to a lack of funding, it was not possible to invest in the motorways and railways at the same time. He said that the political decision to invest in the motorways first was good, noting that about €5.5 billion had been invested in the motorways.