The European Investment Bank is making a EUR 265.6M loan available to the city in order to carry out tramway modernisation to improve speed, reliability, comfort and accessibility for the half million passengers who use the tramway system daily. 50km of track will be relaid and 63 new trams purchased, while Colentina depot will be completely modernised by 2030. The project aims to encourage a shift from private motoring and improve air quality. The agreement was signed on 20 April, when Mayor Ciprian Ciuco said, ‘Bucuresti needs big investments in it is tramway network, that has not been modernised for over 50 years, and is no longer efficient., This financing is extremely important for the city. We are committed to continuing this collaboration and accelerating the development of projects that will shape the future of our city for generations to come’. The EIB financing supports a larger EUR 1.3bn programme to improve urban mobility and reduce the carbon footprint pf energy supply in the city, which has a population of more than 2M, by upgrading the district heating system.
Bucuresti operates 23 tram lines over a 144km system in addition to the five-line metro. The tramway received 100 Astra Imperio low-floor trams in 2022-24, but most of the fleet of 486 cars is high-floor and not accessible to passengers with mobility problems.
Astra low-floor tram in Bucuresti (Bucharest). (STB)
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