|
Driving forward public transport in Kaunas
€15 million EBRD loan for purchase of new trolleybuses
The EBRD is continuing its support for the restructuring and modernisation of
public transport in Kaunas, Lithuania’s second largest city, with a loan of up
to €15 million to the municipal trolleybus company Autrolis. A €5 million
portion of the loan will be syndicated to HSH Nordbank AG Copenhagen Branch
and Nordea Bank Finland Plc. The loan will finance 50 new trolleybuses and
associated infrastructure.
The Bank has been involved in the public transport sector reform in Kaunas
since 2004, when it signed a €10 million loan with the municipal bus company
Kauno Autobusai and provided significant support in structuring a public
service contract between the city and the company. The EBRD has also supported
the ongoing reform with the mobilisation of technical cooperation funding.
The public service contract for Kauno Autobusai introduced competitiveness and
transparency in the public transport sector which has led to its consolidation
with the two municipally owned public transport companies Autrolis and Kauno
Autobusai providing complementary services.
The new loan to Autrolis will be used for the purchase of around 50 new
trolleybuses to renew the companies aging fleet. The renewal of the trolleybus
fleet will allow for a better fleet utilisation and maintain an
environmentally friendly public transport service.
Thomas Maier, EBRD Director for Municipal Infrastructure, said the Bank will
play a key role in the development of Autrolis and the participation of the
private sector in the transport sector in Kaunas. With the latest transaction
EBRD continues to support environmentally clean and sustainable public
transport alternatives to increased private car usage.
|
