9 December 2022
EIB has agreed to lend €43.5 million to APS Holding, of which €34 million to finance the construction of the SIR3 tram line and €9.5 million, which is optional for APS Holding and can be used within two years, for revamping of the SIR1 tram line. The project involves the extension of 5.5 km of the route that will connect the south-east of the city of Padua (Voltabarozzo) to the railway station. The funding provided by the EIB will also contribute to the creation of 13 stops, the construction of a new depot in Voltabarozzo and the construction of a park-and-ride facility with 383 parking spaces. With a €34 million loan, assisted by SACE’s Green Guarantee, the European Investment Bank (EIB) will make a significant contribution to the construction of the new SIR3 tram line in the city of Padua. The financing operation signed is the first tranche of the total amount of €43.5 million approved by the EIB’s Board of Directors. Thanks to ministerial financing and EIB funding APS Holding, an in-house company of the Municipality of Padua, the contracting authority and implementing entity of the entire infrastructure, will soon open the construction sites along the route that will be extended by 5.5 km and will from 2025 connect the south-east of the city of Padua (Voltabarozzo) to the railway station and also serve the city’s main hospitals. The new section will not only link up with the existing North/South line (SIR1), but will be part of the wider SMART project (Tram Network Mobility System) involving the construction of a third suburban line in the city running east to west, which will also serve the neighbouring municipalities of Vigonza and Rubano. The project includes the creation of 13 stops and the construction of a new warehouse in Voltabarozzo to be used for the ordinary maintenance activities of the South/East line (SIR3). In the same location, a park-and-ride facility with 383 parking spaces will be built with an area dedicated to interchange services. The funding is not intended just for implementation of the new line. The second tranche of €9.5 million is in fact intended for APS’s project to gradually upgrade the rolling stock of the North/South line, which will be completed in 2026, including through the implementation of next generation batteries, improving performance and durability and ensuring greater autonomy for routes without overhead lines. The line upgrading process will also include the extension of the Guizza depot. In addition, in December 2021 the EIB and APS Holding S.p.A signed an agreement included in the ELENA (European Local Energy Assistance) Programme in the form of non-repayable technical assistance, covering the costs of developing innovative integrated mobility solutions up to a maximum of €1.6 million. Both for the €43.5 million financing (of which €9.5 million is optional) and for the ELENA contribution, APS Holding used the consulting services of Sinloc S.p.A., which provided technical assistance throughout the application, configuration and negotiation procedure for the relevant contracts both with the EIB and
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