Croatia: The HŽPP national passenger operator has awarded Končar a contract for the supply of 7 three-car 7023 series DMUs. The new trains will be able to reach a max speed of 120 km/h. Its passenger capacity will be 342 people, including 167 seats. As to Railway Gazette, Končar has produced 39 trains for HŽPP, including 5 such diesel trains and 34 electric trains of 6112 series, since 2011.
The new contract is being financed by a €31 mln loan from the Eurofima finance company. The first diesel train is scheduled to be delivered to the operator in two years. According to HŽPP CEO Željko Ukić, 63% of railway lines in Croatia are not electrified, which opens up potential for future DMU orders. Funding for promising contracts, along with projects to modernize the depot, is included in the 2021-2027 national program to increase competitiveness and cohesion.
Also, HŽPP recently announced plans to purchase two battery train prototypes from Končar worth €13.3 mln. The funding is to be obtained from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. This will provide Končar with the opportunity to expand its range of low-floor regional passenger trains.
7023 series DMU by Končar at the InnoTrans exhibition in Berlin in 2016. Source: wikimedia.org
The first 7023 series DMU was produced by Končar in 2015 as part of a contract for the supply of 10 trains. The train was required to be as unified as possible with 6112 series EMUs produced by the manufacturer since 2011. After successfully passing all the tests, the train was put into permanent operation on the Zagreb-Varaždin line in February 2016. However, further deliveries were suspended due to lack of funding. A new order for the supply of 4 more trains was placed in 2018, the World Bank provided a loan for the purchase. The trains were put into permanent operation in 2019-2020.
The DMUs of 7023 series are specialized for regional services and consist of three articulated cars with intermediate Jacobs bogies. The total length of the train is 58.5 m along the the automatic couplers. The trains are equipped with four 1,300 mm wide doors on each side for quick boarding and passengers alighting. The floor height is 600 mm above the level of the rail head, the passage through the train is stepless, except for the front part of the cabin, which is located above the motor bogie. The interior is equipped with a modern heating and air conditioning system, there are sockets under the seats, as well as free Wi-Fi. On the roof of the head cars there are two diesel engines manufactured by MAN with a capacity of 390 kW each. The transmission is electric, electrical equipment is manufactured by the Končar group. The power on the wheel rim is 690 kW, the design speed is 120 km/h, the acceleration is claimed to be up to 0.7 m/s2.
Interior of the 7023 series DMU by Končar. Source: vagonweb.cz
Interior of the 7023 series DMU by Končar. Source: wikimedia.org
Entrance doors of the 7023 series DMU by Končar. Source: vagonweb.cz
Končar also recently delivered another low-floor electric train of 6112 series to HŽPP. The supply is carried out by the manufacturer under a €62.4 mln contract for 12 four-car trains (about €5.2 mln per train) which was signed in April 2020. Končar is also currently fulfilling another order for HŽPP for the delivery of 21 EMUs of 6112 series for €112.5 mln, which was placed in November 2020. The initial delivery date for all trains is December 2023. However, the manufacturer says that deliveries may be delayed due to raw material prices growth.
6112 series EMU by Končar. Source: szz.hr
6112 series AC (25 kV, 50 Hz) EMU consist of four cars with intermediate Jacobs bogies. The head cars are motorized, the total power of four asynchronous traction motors is 2 MW. The body structure is made of a steel supporting frame and a roof is made of aluminum sandwich panels. All power equipment is located on the roof and in compartments behind the driver’s cab. The level of the floor at the entrance is 550 mm (according to other sources, 600 mm), the floor rises smoothly (without steps) above the bogies. There are modifications with four and eight pairs of doors and the number of seats from 133 to 211, depending on the purpose of the train (urban, suburban, interregional). Design speed – 160 km/h.
The article was prepared on the basis of materials by the “Low-floor trains, medium platforms” initiative group, Telegram-channel @ru_lf_train
