Croatia's passenger railway will charge battery trains at a station with its own solar and storage
HZ Putnicki prijevoz and Koncar signed for six battery electric trains plus the first hybrid charging station at Kotoriba, a charger with a photovoltaic plant and an energy storage system. Project value EUR 53.6 million from the Modernisation Fund. Trains due in service in 2028 and early 2029.
A train that runs on batteries has the same problem as a fleet of delivery vans. It refills somewhere, at set times, whether the sun is out or not.
On 16 July 2026, HZ Putnicki prijevoz, the Croatian passenger rail operator, and Koncar signed contracts for six battery electric multiple-unit trains and a hybrid charging station at Kotoriba station. Project value: EUR 53.6 million. The money comes from the Modernisation Fund, which is paid for by EU emissions trading revenue. The environment minister said the train purchase is financed 100% from that fund.
Koncar says that after six charging stations for battery trains, this project builds the first hybrid one at Kotoriba: a charger with a photovoltaic plant and an energy storage system. The new trains are due to enter passenger service in 2028 and early 2029.
Analogy: think of a depot that keeps a rainwater tank beside its truck wash. The roof fills the tank by day. The tank covers the wash whenever the trucks roll in.
Good: a public transport operator designing a charging site with solar and a battery from the start, signed and funded, with service dates. That is the depot pattern many fleet operators are weighing.
Bad: neither release gives the solar size, the battery size, or the share of charging energy the site will cover. The EUR 53.6 million is mostly trains, not the charger.
Ugly: 2028 is a long runway. Until the hybrid station runs, this is a signed design, not a measured result.
Source: HZ Putnicki prijevoz, 16 Jul 2026 - contracts signed for 6 battery trains and a hybrid charging station at Kotoriba; Koncar, 16 Jul 2026 - contracts signed for six battery electric multiple units and a hybrid charging station at Kotoriba.