The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a EUR 10 million loan for the moderisation and development of Pavlodar tramway system, in north-eastern Kazakhstan. The project covers the procurement of 25 battery-powered trams and is also co-financed with EUR 4 million from the Clean Technology Fund, that supports clean technology projects in low and middle-income countries. According to the EBRD, EUR 15.9 million is the estimated value of the project.
Pavlodar Tram Management Company is responsible for handling almost 40 per cent of passenger traffic in the city, which has a population of more than 360,000. Yet nearly 60 per cent of the Pavlodar tramway fleet was commissioned in the 1970s and 1980s and requires urgent renewal.
“Trams are widely recognised as an ecologically friendly and efficient means of transport. We are pleased to help our long-term counterpart, the city of Pavlodar, to renew its rolling stock,” EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso said.
As part of the project, the tram company will deliver public awareness campaigns in order to improve safety for female tram drivers and passengers. The procurement of the new energy efficient trams will result in significant improvement in its operating and environmental performance, as well as improved safety standards.
New battery-powered trams will have an autonomous driving range of up to 20 km, which means that the vehicles can continue operating during electricity outages and therefore help keep traffic congestion to a minimum. The deployment of these trams will also help to expand the existing network without building additional catenary lines.
An assessment of the Pavlodar tram project, published by the EBRD in 2021, says that the city needs to rehabilitate its tramway infrastructure and replace its obsolete fleet with the new, modern, and energy efficient trams.
Pavlodar tramway network comprises 14 lines crossing along the busiest streets of the city and the fleet is made of 115 vehicles which transport 1,000 passengers each day.
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