New subrurban train Rijeka – Perman will run up to 160 km/h
The new electric train, which reaches a speed of 160 kilometers per hour, will connect the wider area of Rijeka. This is the first of a total of 33 new trains that Končar – Electric Vehicles will deliver to Croatia Railways (HŽ Passenger Transport).
The new train is intended for suburban traffic in the Rijeka area and will run from Rijeka to Perman from Monday to Friday, and during the weekend between Rijeka and Ogulin.
The train has a capacity of 133 seats and 372 standing places. It is equipped with ramps for entering and exiting people in wheelchairs, space for bicycles, and the entire passenger area is under video surveillance.
In addition to visual and audio announcements of the station and stops, passengers on the train are provided with free WiFi access.
5.5 million euro train
Each train is worth about 5.5 million euros and the total value of the procurement of all 33 trains is about 1.3 billion kuna. 21 trains are financed from EU funds, and the rest with the help of EUROFIMA and IBRD.
In addition to improving the quality of service, the introduction of a new electric train will result in lower operating costs and a reduction in environmental pollution, HŽ Passenger Transport and the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure are convinced.
Railway investments started
Minister Oleg Butković said investments in railway infrastructure have started, as motorway infrastructure has been largely built.
President of the Management Board of HŽ Željko Ukić said that the line from Rijeka to Perman has existed since 2018, and is co-financed by local authorities, in order to encourage travel on that line and reduce the use of cars.
President of the Management Board of Končar – Electric Vehicles Josip Ninić said that 33 trains will be delivered to HŽ by 2023, of which 17 will be for urban and suburban traffic and 16 for regional traffic.
What about the lowland railway?
When asked by journalists about the lowland railway, the Minister said that HŽ will soon make a decision for the first railway section Hrvatski Leskovac-Karlovac.
He added that Zagreb and the Hungarian border will be connected by the end of 2023 or at the beginning of 2024, and the part from Zagreb to Rijeka is planned to be completed by 2030.
At the same time, HŽ is working on documentation for the city railway Škrljevo – Rijeka – Jurdani, a project worth 350 million euros they hope will partly get from EU funds.
When asked about the problem of protected animal species in the lowland section, Butković answered that, when building large infrastructure projects, care must be taken about sustainable development and environmental protection and that the challenge regarding bats will be solved with colleagues from the Ministry of Environment.
Source: Novilist.hr
