The FINANCIAL -- The EBRD is providing a €152 million sovereign loan for
the benefit of Dnipropetrovskiy Metropolitan, the municipal company
operating the metro system in the city of Dnipropetrovsk.
According to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the project, which is expected to be co-financed on an equal basis by the European Investment Bank (EIB), will finance the completion of the existing metro line, which will now link the suburbs with the city centre.
It will provide an efficient, fast and low carbon public transport solution for one of the largest industrial cities in the country. In particular, the project will extend the existing metro line by four kilometres and add three new metro stations. Upon project completion, the metro traffic flow is expected to double to over 20 million people by 2026, while also providing much needed congestion relief to the busiest part of Dnipropetrovsk city centre.
The project preparation was supported by the government of Austria and through the EBRD Shareholder Special Fund. Further assistance, necessary to achieve important institutional and regulatory improvements, is required to ensure the city enjoys sustainable long-term services of high-quality. A grant funding package of over €900,000 will be available from the European Union’s Neighbourhood Investment Facility towards these objectives. It will, in particular, cover areas of electronic ticketing, corporate development, public service contracting, procurement and implementation support. The optimisation of transport routes in Dnipropetrovsk will be supported by technical cooperation funds from the EIB.
Jean-Patrick Marquet, EBRD Director for Municipal and Environmental Infrastructure said: “Our goal is to support the development of clean, efficient and modern urban transport in Ukraine and the Dnipropetrovsk metro project is part of this strategy. The existing transport system, which is based on ageing and polluting buses and minibuses, is no longer good for the city. By introducing a sustainable and clean urban transport we bring a range of environmental and economic benefits, such as travel time savings, a reduction in the reliance on private car travel and lower emissions."
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