Further to execution of a contract with European funding, a street will be rehabilitated, tickets machines will be installed, and seven more Bozankaya trams will be bought in Timișoara.
The West Regional Development Agency and the Timișoara Municipality signed on Tuesday two projects totaling EUR 51.82 million. Of this amount, the grant is EUR 28.87 million.
Mayor Nicolae Robu and the Director of the West Regional Development Agency (RDA), Sorin Maxim, signed two projects with European funding in the premises of Timișoara City Hall: “Rehabilitation of tram lines and modernization of street network in City of Timisoara, Route 5, Calea Bogdăneștilor”, and “Renewal of Tram Fleet – stage 2”.
This money covers the rehabilitation of the tram lines, the modernization of the Calea Bogdăneștilor street, and the acquisition of seven new and modern trams from the supplier Bozankaya (Turkey), in addition to the seven already ordered during the first tram fleet renewal stage. About EUR 30 million are allocated for restoration of the avenue, whereas EUR 20 million for the purchase of new tram sets.
“The first project provides for the rehabilitation of the Calea Bogdanești, from the intersection with Cetăţii Avenue to the return loop in the Ronaţ district. This will be a double tram line laid in the middle of the road, bordered by green areas with trees. As many as 2.25 km of double-track line, plus 0.45 km in the area of the return loop, will be rehabilitated, thus giving the city a total of 4.95 km of modernized track. The road will be enlarged to 4 lanes, two in each direction, and sidewalks and biker lanes will be arranged on both directions”, is stipulated in the funding agreement.
Similarly, ticket machines will be placed in the seven tram stations, a first for Timișoara. According to the agreement, “the project also covers rehabilitation of seven public transport stations along the respective route. They will be lit and disabled-friendly, will be provided with benches and trash cans, video surveillance equipment, ticket machines, LCD display boards, and other facilities. Racks for rental bikes will be placed in the proximity. More than 9,500 sq.m of green areas will be arranged, of which about 8,500 sq.m of brand new green areas, and a new power supply system will be implemented in the area”, a.
EUR 20 million for seven new Bozankaya trams for Timișoara
The financing of seven new trams amounts to more than EUR 20 million, and the sets will run on the modernized lines no. 2 and no. 6. This money is allocated for a follow-up of the contract with the Turks from Bozankaya. “We signed the contract for Stage I in the same place; in fact, three identical projects have been submitted, each of them providing for the acquisition of 7 new trams, with all the facilities that a modern, world-class tram includes today. These are articulated, low-floor trams. The length of a tram ranges between 25 and 30 meters, and the body width is between 2.3 and 2.4 meters. The trams will carry a minimum of 170 passengers. They can run at maximum speeds of 70 km/h, at a 70% passenger load. The range should be of at least 30 km. We organized the call for tenders and made sure that the Technical Specifications included the requirements of the funding application. Now, we have funding for 14 trams, and this is a fact. After we signed the first contract, we were talking about 7 trams, but we have always said we wanted to buy 21 trams. We can buy up to 40 trams. We have another funding application under the same terms, but money ran out. We have already exhausted all the funds made available to us, and this is a proof of our capacity to prepare eligible projects. We rely on the fact that we can benefit of fund reallocations”, Mayor Nicolae Robu declared.
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