European Investment Bank Pours €266M into 50km Bucharest Light Rail Upgrade

Bucharest light rail network upgrades will be supported through a €266m financing agreement. The agreement was signed by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the city of Bucharest. The signing took place in the Romanian capital. EIB vice-president Ioannis Tsakiris and Bucharest mayor Ciprian Ciucu attended. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

According to the European Investment Bank, the loan will fund work on the existing system. For example, the work includes the upgrade of around 50km of track. It also covers improvements to depot facilities and the addition of 63 new light rail vehicles. In addition, the investment is intended to improve service speed, reliability, accessibility and passenger comfort. At the same time, the network is used by about 500,000 people each day. Together, these elements make the upgrade both an infrastructure and fleet programme.

Light rail upgrade scope

Separately, International Railway Journal reported that no tender timetable details have been released for the new LRVs. Meanwhile, the modernisation programme is due to be completed by 2030. This includes delivery of the new fleet.

In addition, Bucharest put into service 100 Imperio LRVs from 2022 to 2024. They were produced by a consortium. That consortium comprised Romanian supplier Astra Vagoane Călători and Chinese manufacturer CRRC Qingdao Sifang.

“Bucharest needs major investment in its light rail network, as it is over 50 years old and is no longer efficient, so this funding is extremely important for the city,” says Ciucu.

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