€200 million for French tram

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has approved a €200 million loan to support the development of the tram infrastructure in the Île-de-France region, which includes the Paris and the surrounding metropolitan area.

The latest tranche of support represents the bulk of a €300 million loan that will be used to construct four new tramlines in Paris, known as the T5, T6, T7 and T8 lines, and the extension of the existing T1, T2 and T3 lines.

The funds come after the EIB also provided a €300 million loan in November last year to finance 107 new trams to run on the new lines.

There are four tram lines currently operating in Île-de-France. This 41.4 km network has 71 stations and carries 370,000 passengers each day. With the future extension of the T1, T2 and T3 lines and the entry into service of the T5, T6, T7 and T8 lines, the network is planned to extend to 105.3km with 187 stations, serving 830,500 passengers per day.

The Île-de-France's mobilisation plan for transport was launched in 2008 and estimated that an investment of about €12 billion would be needed by 2025 to provide more modern and efficient public transport to Parisians.

Of this, an investment of €1.2 billion has been budgeted for the new T5, T6, T7 and T8 tram lines, including nearly €750 million in funding allocated by the region.