The public transport company of Krakow, MPK, will announce next year a tender for the acquisition of 40 new tramways, Mariusz Szałkowski, Vice-President of MPK said. MPK intends to completely replace within a few years all tramways with new low floor and energy saving. For this project, MPK intends to invest EUR 234.3 million (PLN 1 billion). The value of all projects implemented by the public transport operator is already over PLN 1.6 billion (EUR 382.64 million), of which almost PLN 1 billion (EUR 23.9 million) are funds raised from EU.
The announcement was made during UN Climate Change Conference – COP 24 held in Katowice, when MPK and the European Investment Bank signed a EUR 87 million (PLN 376 million) loan agreement to renew its tramway fleet. “The loan agreement with the EIB will allow MPK to pursue it fleet renewal plans,” Szałkowski said.
The loan will finance the acquisition of up to 90 new, low floor and low energy consumption trams to replace obsolete units and for the modernisation of the existing ones.
In December, MPK intends to sign with Stadler Polska and Solaris Bus & Coach consortium an agreement for 15 additional new tramways as part of a framework agreement for 50 trams signed in January this year. The value of the contract is PLN 314 million (EUR 75 million). The project has also received a PLN 125 million (EUR 29.9 million) co-financing under the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment 2014–2020. The first new vehicles of the 35 ordered trams are estimated to be put into operation at the beginning of 2020 and in the third quarter of 2020 all trams should be delivered.
This is the third and largest loan to the company in less than 10 years and the fourth to the city’s tramway transport system as a whole. The total value of EIB loans provided to MPK is EUR 144.8 million (PLN 618 million).
“This is the third loan over a decade granted by the EIB to MPK, the Krakow operator of public transport services, for the purchase of new rolling stock or the upgrade of the existing ones. The bank has also co-financed over the same period of time the modernisation of the tramway infrastructure,” said Vazil Hudak, vice-president of EIB.
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