The first train is expected to be delivered in July, with the remaining units to be delivered one per month by the end of the year.
The project, financed through a loan from the European Investment Bank, is worth €57.3 million.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butković said during a tour of Končar Electric Vehicles' production facilities that 19 trains for HŽ Passenger Transport were currently in production or operation, including six intended for the Zagreb-Split line.
He added that 20 low-floor trams for Zagreb were also in production, stressing the importance of modernising Croatian Railways (HŽ) through the procurement of new trains.
Asked why not a single metre of track had been built in six years on the Hrvatski Leskovac-Karlovac section, Butković said the issue largely concerned the State Commission responsible for overturning public procurement decisions, adding that he could not influence those rulings.
He said it was unusual that two appeals concerning the demolition of the Vjesnik building were resolved in eight days, while decisions on appeals concerning the large strategic railway project could take up to six months.
Asked whether the Brodosplit shipyard's head Tomislav Debeljak had been excluded from the process after unfinished military vessels were entered into the register of armed forces ships, Butković said he could not comment on legal remedies regarding such decisions, adding that the Defence Ministry had met all its financial obligations to Brodosplit regarding the three vessels.
Commenting on Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić's "rattling of weapons", Butković said it reflected Vučić's style of politics and that he was focused on a successful neighbour that had already defeated him once in the 1991-1995 Homeland War.
HŽ Passenger Transport chairman Željko Ukić said modern, high-comfort trains would operate on the Zagreb-Split route and could increase passenger numbers while also shortening travel time.
About 250,000 passengers currently travel between the two cities each year. Ukić also said funding had been announced for 36 additional trains, which would significantly improve rail transport quality in Croatia.
Five additional bi-mode trains to be delivered next year are planned to connect Osijek, Rijeka and Pula.
Končar CEO Gordan Kolak said the new trains use the most advanced technologies.
"The train is a hybrid combining diesel and electric propulsion because it will operate on sections of track that are partly electrified and partly not," Kolak said.
The 429-kilometre railway line between Zagreb and Split is electrified from Zagreb to Oštarije (103 km), while the remaining section to Split is not.
The train set will be 75 metres long, consisting of four cars with 150 seats, including 18 in first class, and will feature advanced technology including free internet access for passengers.