The European Investment Bank and the region have signed a €475 million loan agreement to modernize the region's urban transport fleet and make it more sustainable.
Travelers and commuters in the Brussels-Capital Region can look forward to major improvements in local public transport. The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the region have signed a €475 million loan agreement (the largest ever EIB loan in Brussels) to modernize the region's urban transport fleet and make it more sustainable. The loan will finance the purchase of 94 electric buses, 90 trams and 43 metros and the renewal of 63 kilometers of track on existing tram and metro networks.
“This partnership with the European Investment Bank is a historic agreement. This loan of 475 million euros can be used to finance the purchase of new electric buses, new trams and metros and the modernization of the tracks. Our agreement reinforces an investment policy in favor of public transport in the Brussels Region, which has existed for many years and is part of an overall plan to reduce traffic and increase the offer of public transport in order to improve air quality, increase the attractiveness of the Region and the ecological transition".
Brussels has been suffering economic losses for some time due to traffic jams and the medical consequences of air pollution. Now the regional government is trying to change the status quo by implementing the Good Move mobility plan, the cornerstone of which is to increase the offer of public transport. Once implemented, the improved infrastructure and new rolling stock financed by the EIB will make public transport more reliable, regular, frequent and accommodating. The ultimate goal is to make public transport more attractive than the car.
“This is a historic first financial partnership between the EIB and the Brussels-Capital Region, providing a long-term loan of almost half a billion euros, a record amount for the EIB in Brussels. It highlights the alignment of priorities between the EIB and the region in our efforts to mitigate climate change and reduce CO2 emissions. With this investment, we want to support people in the capital region by making sustainable public transport the easy choice to go to work, school or university, or to travel for leisure. As the EU's climate bank, we are happy and proud to be able to support the region in this pursuit of sustainability."
“A sixth of our annual budget is invested in mobility: increasing the frequency and capacity of public transport, building cycling and walking infrastructure and investing in road safety. In addition to the modal shift, in which we convince people to use alternatives to their own car, we are also using an engine shift to ensure that fossil fuels are replaced by more sustainable alternatives. I am delighted that the European Investment Bank believes in and invests in our project to make Brussels a liveable, people-oriented city:.
The purchase of the new rolling stock and the improvement of the existing infrastructure are part of a broader strategy to reduce the carbon footprint by STIB, the Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company. By 2030, STIB wants to reduce CO2 emissions by 39% compared to 2010. The new rolling stock will include 94 electric buses (70 articulated buses of 18 meters each and 24 regular buses of 12 meters), 90 TNG trams ( tram the nouvelle generation ) of 32 or 43 meters, and 43 metro trains of 94 meters. The project also includes installing equipment and adapting existing infrastructure to implement the new trams and metros, as well as renewing 63 kilometers of existing single-track tram and metro lines, improving the usability and availability of public transport, it said. the European Union.
“It is the first time that the European Investment Bank has collaborated with the regional government. It shows that a major European financial player also provides qualitative support for the Brussels investment policy. With this large loan of almost half a billion euros from the EIB, we are further modernizing public transport for metro, bus and tram. With this money we will automate the metro and purchase 43 metro trains, 94 electric buses and 90 trams. Public transport in Brussels will become an even more important mode of transport in the city".
“Public transport needs these investments. They allow us to further strengthen the performance of the current network to the benefit of users, while at the same time developing the network of tomorrow and adapting to new mobility needs. More vehicles means more capacity and frequency, tens of kilometers of tram tracks are being renewed, which means more safety and comfort for both travelers and local residents, and modernizing the metro and building a new line means guaranteeing regularity and accessibility for as many people as possible on the main axis of our network. are essential for the future of mobility in Brussels”.
