Eurovia catches tram in Slovakia

Eight packages of work in the second phase of the modernisation of the tramway in Košice, Slovakia’s second largest city, have been awarded to Vinci subsidiary Eurovia.

The work, awarded to the Vinci subsidiary specialising in transport infrastructure and urban development, is worth almost €80 million, and the new contract follows on from the first phase of works, completed by Eurovia between April and October 2015 for €20 million.

The second phase covers the rehabilitation of the 33km network, which consists of 15 urban and suburban lines, and the acquisition of new rolling stock. For the gradual modernisation of the tracks, which will start at the end of 2016 and take two years to complete, the company said that emphasis would be on scheduling so as to limit, as far as possible, the impact on traffic in the city, which has a population of almost 250,000.

In all, Eurovia’s teams will work on 449 engineering structures. The rails will be entirely replaced and the utility networks affected will be re-routed. Electrical equipment, signalling, lighting and all tramway and bus platforms will be modernised. New information systems and a CCTV monitoring system will be installed.

In addition to the two phases of works for the Košice system, Eurovia participated in the construction of new tramway lines in Brastislava, Slovakia, between 2013 and 2015, a project that included the reconstruction of the capital’s famous Old Bridge.