The Cabinet of Ministers is proposing spending 30% of the remainder of targeted environmental (green) investment funds on modernization of Kyiv subway cars. As Prime Minister Arsenii Yatseniuk announced at a Cabinet of Ministers meeting on Wednesday, 30 March, the remainder of targeted environmental (green) investment funds is about UAH 1 billion. Thus, about UAH 300 million may be spent on modernization of Kyiv subway cars, The Interfax Ukraine news agency reports.

"We need a clear decision: to instruct the Ministry of Environment, together with the Ministry of Economic Development, to conduct and conclude negotiations with the non-state companies that have signed agreements on the use of the remainder of the funds under the Kyoto Protocol as follows - divide the total amount of the funds into two tranches," Yatseniuk said.

According to him, it is necessary to agree that the first tranche will be about 30% of the total amount and that it should be spent on modernization of Kyiv subway cars, and the decision will include the Kyiv city administration as a participant in the negotiations.

"70% of the amount [should be given to] the Ministry of Internal Affairs for vehicles to complete the reform of the National Police – hybrid [vehicles] that use little gasoline, produce little emissions, but perform a lot of work to ensure the safety of citizens," Yatseniuk said.

As reported, data from the press service of the Kyiv city council states that comprehensive upgrade of 120 subway cars was performed at the cost of UAH 1.55 billion during the period of 2012-2014 in implementation of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, using money from the targeted environmental (green) investment funds. All the subway cars have been put into operation on the Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska subway line. Fifteen more subway cars are scheduled to be modernized by the end of March 2017.

Previously, the Kyiv subway’s requirement for subway cars is estimated at 709, which practically coincides with the existing fleet of 824 passenger cars, of which about 650 perform daily operations. The Kyiv subway notes the significant level of depreciation of its passenger cars.