The general aim is to modernise and improve the quality of Zagreb's tram network, and this particular project does not include the procurement of more trams which is a move that was announced a long time ago.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes on the 30th of May, 2019, a total of 210 million kuna from EU funds and a small part of the Croatian state budget will fund the reconstruction and the modernisation of part of the capital's tram infrastructure, and the Zagreb Electric tram (ZET) project should be completed by 2023, as was confirmed by the Ministry of Regional Development and EU funds.
The general objective of the project is to modernise and improve the quality of Zagreb's existing tram network in order to properly maintain a good level of public transport services for the City of Zagreb at the EU level regarding safety, reliability, accessibility of persons with disabilities and a significant reduction of negative CO2 emissions.
"The reconstruction of the tram infrastructure includes eleven tramway sections in the length of 8,194 metres, as well as track dismantling, track supply and installation, cable drainage and similar works. The reconstruction and modernisation of these correctional stations will include the procurement and installation of new equipment, works on the reconstruction of the objects themselves and the installation of a cable network,'' the competent ministry explained.
Along with the works, a study on the development of the tram traffic of the City of Zagreb is planned, which aims to analyse the overall state of the tram infrastructure and to introduce measures and targets for its improvement, which should ultimately lead to new projects to be funded from EU funds. Of course, the plan is to fund the project's self-promotion through the development of a communication strategy, the visual identity of the project, slogans and the promotion of activities to further highlight the visibility of the project itself.
As stated in the call for co-financing of the modernisation of Zagreb's tram infrastructure, the maximum amount of grants that can be awarded for the project proposal is up to 210 million kuna, with total available grants from the Cohesion Fund standing at 178.5 million kuna. The percentage of co-financing of eligible costs from Cohesion Fund resources can be up to 85 percent and the mandatory share of national co-financing of eligible costs of at least 15 percent will be provided from the state budget.
The pre-defined applicant is ZET, who has already applied for the call, as was confirmed by that particular Zagreb city company.
For ZET, the modernisation of the capital's trams will ultimately result in an increase in the number of passengers using public transport. As we've come to know, this call refers only to the infrastructure, not to the procurement of trams which has been being discussed in Zagreb for several years now. Whether or not this project is being eagerly awaited by Croatian companies was recently confirmed in a conversation between Poslovni Dnevnik and Darinko Bago, President of the Končar Group's management board.
As it is known, Končar has developed trams, and in Zagreb, 142 of Končar's trams are already in operation. As Bago pointed out, according to city studies, Zagreb should acquire more than sixty new trams, replacing the old and overworked trams that have been driving around the city for around half a century.
''We're very interested in that," Bago stated.
The time frame in which this project can be expected hasn't yet been revealed.
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Click here for the original article by Marija Crnjak for Poslovni Dnevnik
