GDANSK METROPOLITAN RAIL

The Project consists of the construction of 20 km (almost all double track) of railway infrastructure dedicated to suburban/regional passengers services in the Tricity area, along the corridor of an existing old regional railway, currently dismissed. The investment will be located in the municipalities of Gdansk and in the Pomerarian Voivodeship and will connect the areas of the center of Gdansk with its Airport, with Gdynia, with the Kaszuby region and other existing regional railway lines. The project includes also some new Park and Ride facilities. The proposed line is not part of the TEN-T network, but technical equipment is planned to be conducted to ensure the interoperability of traffic, including control with ERTMS level 2, and digital data transmission system GSM-R.

The Project is part of the strategy for the improvement of mobility and public transport in the Pomeranian region. It should improve the quality of service for public transport users, alleviating private cars pressure and the related problems of pollution, thus improving the quality of the environment. It is located in an area designated as Convergence Region under the Community Support Framework and is therefore eligible for Bank financing under Article 309, point (a) "regional development" and (c) "enhancing urban environment - sustainable urban transport", of the EC Treaty. The Project is expected to be co-financed under Cohesion Funds.

The new railway line falls under Annex I of the EU EIA Directive 85/337/EEC (as amended), according to which a full Environmental Impact Assessment has to be launched. According to information provided by the Promoter, a full EIA has been carried out for all the line. The route of the railway line is not in the immediate vicinity nor runs through protected areas listed in the Natura 2000 network. Full details will be checked at appraisal stage.

The Promoter being a public entity, it is subject to EU public procurement regulations. The contracts for the implementation of the Project will be tendered in accordance with the relevant Polish Public Procurement Act as well as with applicable EU procurement legislation (Directive 2004/17/EEC, 2004/18/EEC and Dir. 2007/66/EC), including publication in the EU Official Journal where applicable. Full details will be checked at appraisal stage.

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