Burgas integrated urban transport project

The Bank is considering providing a loan of up to € 11.1 million to the City of Burgas as part of the Bank’s co-financing of the City’s Integrated Urban Transport Project, It is expected to be jointly funded with EU grant under Operating Programme ‘Regional Development’ on a blended basis. The project’s total cost amount to € 67 million of which up to € 47 million will be provided by the EU Cohesion Fund on a grant basis. The project components to include:

• Construction of a 15 km Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor – a new segregated bus lane corridor will be constructed with robust road sub-base techniques to handle high-frequency bus services. This corridor will provide quick, reliable travel for users, essentially replicating an urban LRT service but at reduced cost. A new bus route network will be also introduced to complement the BRT service.
• Associated traffic management and public transport prioritisation to meet the needs for the BRT corridor - To enhance the reliability of the services and provide users improved quality, a series of investments will be made in traffic management techniques along the corridor, with real-time passenger information systems at BRT stops and in-vehicle systems, and fleet management systems.
• Bus depot extension, bus shelters and new multi-modal Central Bus Station and Bus Terminal construction –The new services will be accompanied by bus terminal designed to link passengers to other public transport services, including regular bus services and rail.  These investments also include new bus shelters and depot improvements, for both urban and inter-city services. The investment in the depot expansion is necessitated by the City’s decision to introduce larger buses (CNG and diesel) to operate over the enhanced infrastructure, based around the BRT concept.
• New CNG and clean diesel fleet acquisition – This will involve the introduction of some 60 new CNG and diesel buses to operate over the improved infrastructure. The new vehicles will replace Burgas Bus’ oldest buses and will contribute to a greatly improved and reliable service, with reduced emissions as well as reduced maintenance costs and more attractive public transport. The new vehicles will be a mix of standard (12 metre) and articulated (18 metre) buses, which will be operated over the new BRT segregated corridor.
• CNG bus service infrastructure – The investment will focus on the construction of a new CNG filling station to serve the expanded CNG bus fleet. This will be located at the Burgas Bus facilities, and will be an expansion of the current CNG filling station already in use.
• Integrated ticketing system – The new system will allow users to make seamless transfers from all major modes of public parking.
• Non-motorised transport – This will involve key investments in a cycling network and pedestrian facilities to improve safety. As an important component contributing to urban sustainability, the cycling paths will be designed to allow both residents and tourists to circulate conveniently and safely throughout the downtown and beach areas of Burgas.

The physical investments will be supported by extensive project management from the EU Cohesion Funds, as well as Bank-funded TC grants. 

News source: EBRD link: article