Bratislava signed a contract for non-repayable financial contribution for the Petržalka tram-line

Representatives of the city and the Ministry of Transport of the Slovak Republic signed a contract on the provision of a non-repayable financial contribution for one of the most important infrastructure projects in Bratislava - the extension of the tram-line to Petržalka. By signing the contract, EU funds in the amount of the total eligible expenditure of €86 million are to be used. All works to be implemented by the end of 2023 will be financed from the Operational Programme Integrated Infrastructure. A phasing system will be used for the project. The remaining works, to be continued by the contractor in 2024, will be financed from the new programming period.

The signing of the contract was preceded by the drafting of the application and a subsequent assessment process. Several institutions were involved in the process of securing the EU funds - the city, the Ministry of Transport of the Slovak Republic as the managing authority, and individual bodies of the European Commission - JASPERS. The preparation of the application and its approval extended over several months. It is a standard process where applications are also processed following the start of the works. The signing of the contract for the non-repayable financial contribution triggers the drawdown of EU funds from the Cohesion Fund, which will largely finance the construction of the tram-line. The city will refinance the invoices already paid to the contractor from the European funds as well as the subsequent ones, which will entail those works to be carried out by the end of 2023.

“I am pleased that this project has moved one step forward once again. Our long-term goal is to promote environmentally friendly forms of transport, which is why we see the Petržalka tram-line as one of our key developments. I believe that the construction will pick up pace and the first passengers will ride the new line next year,“ says Minister Doležal at the signing of the contract.

“The extension of the tram-line to the end of Petržalka is one of the most important transport projects for the city. We are doing everything we can to keep the construction moving forward. I am very pleased that we have approved financing and confirmed the receipt of the EU funds. I would like to thank the Minister of Transport Andrej Dolezal and his team for their partner approach, and also my colleagues from City Hall involved in the project,“ says Mayor Vallo.

The funding from the EU funds from this programming period, which will not be used for the Petržalka tram-line this year, can be used for other transport projects in Bratislava which are prepared with the Transport Company. These include, for example, the modernisation of the electric exchange stations for trams and trolleybuses or the repair of part of the rails and platforms on the Vajnorska radial route.

The city is negotiating with the contractor of the second stage of the Petržalka tram-line to modify the schedule. The new schedule will serve as a basis for monitoring the construction progress. The progress of works according to the schedule should enable traffic on the tram-line to start in advance in 2024, even before the actual completion of the construction.

Earthworks are currently being carried out along the route of the future tram-line - the subsoil is being adjusted by laying a geogrid system and embankments are being built. The contractor is working on several projects simultaneously - intensive works will be carried out in connection with the removal of the embankment of the original road and the bridging of the Chorvátské rameno on Rusovská Road. Works are in progress on the bridge at Pope's Meadow focused on the reinforcement and concreting of supports. On another bridge near Technopol, deep foundation works are starting, consisting of large-diameter piles to be constructed with a special large drilling rig. Shortly, construction of the converter stations will also begin, which will be used to supply the overhead power lines with electricity. An important part of the works on the construction of the Petržalka tram-line is the relocation of utility lines - gas, electricity, various connections, fibre optic cables, etc.