September 7, 2023 – The contract for the purchase of ten new low-floor trams in Osijek, worth 25 million euros, of which 20 million is a grant, was signed by representatives of Osijek’s City Passenger Transport (GPP) and the company Končar – Električna Vozila.
The new trams will provide greater safety and higher traffic speed, notes Index, as well as increased environmental friendliness. This is particularly significant if you consider that the last time new trams came to Osijek was 40 years ago, Osijek Mayor Ivan Radić pointed out.
The new contract establishes that the first of the new trams in Osijek, which will have a capacity of 135 spots, 44 of which are seated, will arrive within 18 months from the moment of signing, which is March 2025. All ten should be in Osijek by September 2025.
“The prerequisite for the arrival of new trams is the modernization of the tram infrastructure, which we started in March last year. It includes the renovation of 23.5 kilometers of the tram network, 23 new stops, and a new contact network. The project is worth over 30 million euros, we are now at 60 percent of the work done, and everything is taking place within the stipulated time,” said Mayor Radić.
Končar as Manufacturer of New Trams In Osijek: Proof that the Croatian product is competitive and modern
The President of the Končar Management Board, Gordan Kolak, pointed out that almost all companies within the Končar Group and a whole range of subcontractors, Croatian companies, participate in this work.
He says this is “another proof that the Croatian product is competitive and modern and that Croatian knowledge is sufficient to keep up with Western European countries.”
“At the tender, we showed that we can be price competitive, and thus we show that we can achieve high-value references on the domestic market, with which we can go out into the world,” said Kolak.
The director of the Central Agency for Financing and Contracting EU Projects, Dragan Jelić, said that Osijek is one of the best cities in terms of withdrawing EU funds, and in this agency alone, around 50 projects worth more than 200 million euros are implemented in the area of the city of Osijek.
Director of the Sector for EU Funds of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport, and Infrastructure, Ina Topić, said that the project is financed from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and will be implemented with the aim of sustainable mobility and improving the quality of public transport.
