Published on September 26, 2024 by Anne Lenormand, Localtis
Europe and international, Transport and low-carbon mobility
To finance the “Mel in Green Mobility” project to modernize its urban transport, the European Metropolis of Lille (MEL) did a double blow by obtaining a green loan of 245 million euros from the European Investment Bank (EIB). ) and a grant of €31.5 million from the European Commission under the Public Sector Loan Facility (PSLP) set up under the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM) provided for by the European Green Deal (read our box).
The Lille project firstly provides for investments in the modernization of the public transport fleet with the renewal of 30 tram trains and 42 buses with new clean vehicles. It also includes investments in platforms, depots and other related equipment, the financing of a new high-level of service bus line and the construction of a multimodal interchange hub. Finally, it accompanies an ambitious cycling plan which provides for 220 km of additional infrastructure over the period 2023-2027.
“This project thus aims to accelerate changes in user behavior by developing a more qualitative and sustainable mobility offer, by improving accessibility to public transport and by expanding the possibilities of soft mobility, underline the MEL, the EIB and the Commission European Union in a joint press release Once completed, it will improve the performance of the tram and bus network, promote intermodality (reduction in the share of individual vehicles, which will go from 56% in 2023 to 40% in 2035) and strengthen. the diversity of metropolitan public transport means.” Increased network efficiency for some 410,000 daily trips should result in substantial time savings for users, a reduction in road congestion and better access to the Metropolis, believe the three stakeholders.
