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Add to Preferred SourcesA new fleet of 40 electric trains for the railway network serving Naples and the province of Naples, the so-called Circumvesuviana will help significantly relieve traffic congestion and considerably reduce pollution in the entire area. That is the aim of the five-year investment plan of Ente Autonomo Volturno (EAV), the Campania Region’s railway management authority, supported by the European Investment Bank via a EUR 68m loan.
The EIB loan is guaranteed by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), one of the pillars of the Investment Plan for Europe, also known as the Juncker Plan.
EAV’s total investment of around EUR 220m will be used to replace 40 trains that have reached the end of their useful life. The new trains will be deployed on the six lines of the Circumvesuviana, which serve one of the most densely populated areas in Europe: 47 municipalities with around 2.5 million inhabitants. The busiest line is the Naples-Sorrento line which, besides being a commuter line, also serves a large number of tourist destinations and cultural heritage sites such as Herculaneum and Pompeii.
For EAV, a company wholly owned by the Campania Region, investing in new mobility programmes aimed at protecting the environment is a priority to preserve the fragile and already congested transport network in the metropolitan area of Naples which, besides the huge numbers of commuters it carries, is impacted by the increase in traffic caused by the growing influx of tourists. The project will enable the EAV fleet to fulfil the latest requirements in terms of safety, operational and energy efficiency.
EIB Vice-President Dario Scannapieco stated: “In the metropolitan area of Naples, the Circumvesuviana railway lines are strategically important for commuters and tourists. I am proud therefore that the EIB is supporting this project in view of its social impact and because the move to new electric trains will have a considerable impact on reducing pollution, thus helping to meet the ambitious but achievable goals set by the European Union and the EIB.”
As regards the aims of the EU bank, the operation will serve to significantly cut CO2 emissions and enable the EIB to subsequently step up its own commitment to meeting climate action targets. In terms of employment, during the construction phase 1 347 jobs will be generated while 46 new permanent jobs will be created in the management phase.
Original source: EIB
Published on 09 January 2019