The board of directors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved the extension of a fast tram project in Lviv that was signed in 2013, the Interfax Ukraine news agency reports, citing a press release by the bank.
A fresh loan of EUR 6 million will be used for rehabilitation of a sewerage infrastructure and construction of a new access ramp.
"The original project was designed to connect the main residential area of Sykhiv, which has a population of almost 150,000, with the city centre of Lviv by a designated tram route. The additional funds pledged by the EBRD are essential for the rehabilitation of a sewerage infrastructure under Chervonoyi Kalyny Avenue and the Khutorivka street bridge, which both represent significant bottlenecks for the fast tram project,” the press release states.
According to the press release, the funds will also be used for the construction of a new access ramp, which will provide a safe “left turn” facility from Khutorivka Street to the northbound carriageway of Chervonoyi Kalyny Avenue.
The original loan of EUR 6 million provided by the EBRD and a parallel investment grant of EUR 5 million from the German Ministry for the Environment in 2013 were aimed at development of the urban tram network in the city of Lviv, the press release states. It was designed to improve the reliability and efficiency of ecologically friendly, electric public transport and promote its use, thus significantly reducing the level of fuel emissions from cars.
