An agreement on joint financing of procurement of 18 electrical trains intended for urban and suburban transportation was signed today by the Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic and the chairman of the Croatian railways (HŽ) Management Board Davorin Kobak.
«The overall value of the investment is EUR 60 million, which will be split fifty-fifty between the City and the HŽ», said Mayor Bandic at the ceremony of signing the Agreement at the City Hall. «We want people from the city and the suburban areas to reach their destinations as soon as possible, be it their home or their work places, said Bandic and pointed out that the City of Zagreb and the Zagreb County had a very good cooperation on this project.
In 1992 the HŽ managed to transport in Zagreb 4.5 million passengers; in 2005 that number increased up to 21 million passengers. The City Government concluded that that was justification enough for the realization of such a project.
«We are going to announce an international tender, but we would like a local company to win». Companies Rade Končar and TZV Gredelj united in the Crotrain consortium that already have experience in constructing low-leveled trains, presented their project of the new suburban railway system, capable of developing the speed of 140-160 km per hour. Their train would be 72 meters long, with 180 seats and 300 standing places, including also a space for disabled persons.
The HŽ points out that the project should not end with the 18 trains employed in the Zagreb suburban transport, it is planned to construct additional trains for suburban and local routes towards Samobor, the Rijeka crossing, the line Vinkovci – Gaboš – Osijek as well as the northwest of Croatia. (Hina)