The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is extending resources to support the renewal of rolling stock in municipalities across Ukraine under its Ukraine Public Transport Framework facility, according to Agroperspectiva.
The latest project under the facility, which was approved in 2015 and designed to help replace ageing municipal transport infrastructure, is a loan of up to EUR 8 million to Electroavtotrans, the municipal public transport operator in the western Ukrainian municipality of Ivano-Frankivsk, Agroperspectiva reported.
The loan, which will be supported by a grant of up to EUR 1 million by the EBRD Shareholder Special Fund, will be used for the acquisition of 35 new low-floor trolley busses, the rehabilitation and modernisation of a trolleybus depot, and the extension of the existing electric commuter network.
The new trolley busses, which will be purchased in 2017 following a transparent procurement process, will be 25% more efficient than the existing ones, most of which have reached the stage of full depreciation. The new fleet will also be more energy efficient and environment friendly.
Ivano-Frankivsk is a historic city in western Ukraine with a population of some 230,000. The city goes back to the 17th century and is traditionally a center of culture and education, home to six universities. This is also a gateway to Ukraine`s most popular mountain resorts, which attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
The EBRD is the largest international financial investor in Ukraine. To date, the Bank has made a cumulative commitment of almost EUR 12 billion through 369 projects since the start of its operations in the country in 1993.
