Iasi continues to modernize its public transport

Mayor Chirica signed an EU funded contract for the purchase of 16 new trams

The Romanian Municipality of Iași continues to modernize its public transport. Its latest project in that regard is financed with European funds through the Regional Operational Program - Axis IV "Supporting sustainable urban development". The specific objective of the project is to reduce carbon emissions through investments based on sustainable urban mobility plans.

Project goals and specifics

On 27 April 2020, the Mayor Mihai Chirica signed the contract for the purchase of 16 trams with a length of about 30 meters with the Polish manufacturer PESA. The value of the contract is 137 million lei, without VAT (about 163 million lei, including VAT, ie about 34 million euros). This means 2.125 million euros will be given for each tram.

Trams will be delivered in stages between 15 and 22 months from the date of signing of the contract. The organizer of the procurement was the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration, and the beneficiary is Iași Municipality. 

After the signing of the contract, a series of external and unpredictable circumstances occurred, in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic: traffic and activity restrictions, generating, among others, temporary cessation or reduction of activities in all areas of the economy, including of industrial production and cross-border deliveries. At present, neither party is directly affected by the effects of the crisis to an extent that does not allow them to perform their respective parts of the contract, but the impact of the pandemic is still unpredictable and unexpected complications cannot be ruled out.

Therefore, this week the Municipality of Iași and PESA signed a protocol through which they intend to strengthen their collaboration, through a sustained communication, so that to minimize the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the implementation of the project.

The 16 new trams will have a total transport capacity of at least 230 seats, at least 30 of which on fixed, folding seats. The passenger seats will be unique, not bench-type, with wear-resistant and dirt-resistant upholstery.

Each tram must have at least one place marked for a stroller and a place reserved for a wheelchair for people with disabilities. At least four seats will be reserved for people with reduced mobility, the elderly, the disabled or pregnant women, places to be built near double doors.

All trams will have modern equipment including air conditioning, a heating system suitable for the cold season, passenger counting system, indoor and outdoor video surveillance system, equipment for outdoor voice announcements in stations for the visually impaired, an electrical ticketing installation and a passenger information facility both indoors and outdoors, a system for counting of passengers through intelligent 3D video sensors and an analyzer. The trams are intended for routes 1, 3, 7, 8 and 13.