Tbilisi Transport Company will receive an up to EUR 60 million loan for the procurement of new metro trains. The funding is expected to be co-financed by the EBRD and the Green Climate Fund.
The project consists of the acquisition of 10 four-car metro trains (40 metro cars) which will replace the existing, outdated rolling stock.
EUR 60 million is the total cost of the project, of which EBRD will provide a EUR 50 million funding.
The project is part of Green Cities 2 (GrCF2) and a follow-on investment to the Tbilisi Green City Action Plan which includes measures to improve areas such as water, energy and energy efficiency, local industry development, and transport. The plan was developed by the City of Tbilisi with the support of the EBRD and financial support provided by the Czech Republic which in total provides EUR 22.1 million as donor funds supporting EBRD operations.
On transport sector, the plan envisages to develop the SUMP, the modernise the bus network and fleet, as well as the metro system, to implement the traffic management system, with the aim of improving public transport system and to reduce the private cars, particularly in the city center.
Under the plans, the metro system would be expanded, and it is analyzing the possibility to introduce a tram system in Tbilisi. Currently, feasibility studies are carried out for these improvements.
The metro system comprises two lines with a length of 27.3 km, served by 23 stations. In October 2018, the prime minister, Mamuka Bakhtadze, has announced new plans to extend the metro system by 8 stations and to modernise the existing metro stations. The new line would use the existing Tbilisi bypass railway ring for which the construction began in 2010 but was suspended due to engineering failures. Under the plans, line will use the existing railway infrastructure and a new metro station will be built from Samgori to Lilo. At the same time, the Tbilisi metropolitan area is being developed and the new line will help authorities to extend the system towards the direction of Rustavi, 25 km southeast of the capital. The line is expected to provide transport services for 200,000 passengers. At the second stage of development, the metro is planned to be connected to Rustavi through an above ground metro.
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