Eastern Romania: Iași City Hall completes EUR 60 mln tender for new tram, bus depot

Local officials in Iași, eastern Romania, announced on Wednesday, June 26, the completion of a EUR 60 million tender for the construction of a new tram and bus depot. According to the mayor, the facility will be built to be energy independent.

Iași mayor Mihai Chirica noted that there were three bids and that the winning bid was ultimately submitted by Romanian companies Conest, from Iași, and associates at Mari Vila Com, from Bucharest.

The tender was organized on the procurement portal of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, or EBRD, which is granting the municipality the loan to co-finance the investment. The winning association will have two years to complete the works.

“It will be the first depot in Romania, and also in Eastern Europe, built to be energy independent,” said Chirica on Facebook.

The depot, which will be built in the Dacia area of Iași, became a priority after City Hall purchased 32 new trams and 44 electric buses with EU funds. The city is also set to acquire an additional 18 trams and 25 electric buses through the EU-backed National Recovery and Resilience Plan, or PNRR.

The depot will cover an area of nearly 40,000 square meters. It will include two shelter areas for vehicles, as well as repair spaces, office areas, a dining hall, and buildings for various installations.

“All energy capacities, with a total capacity of 1,200 kWh, will be provided through the three systems proposed in the project: photovoltaic panel system of 900 kW, heat pump heating system of 120 kW, and solar panel system for domestic hot water production of 180 kW. The new depot will be built using state-of-the-art technologies that integrate the concept of digitization both in the operation phase of the vehicles and in the maintenance, overhaul, and repair phases,” said the mayor of Iași.

At the same time, Chirica stated that the new “green and smart” depot includes “a series of digitization objectives” with a total value of RON 47.3 million financed through European funds under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

“For this purpose, the Iași City Hall is organizing a tender for the supply, installation, and commissioning of equipment for intelligent transport systems. The financial provision for the procedure is RON 50.2 million (EUR 10 million) including VAT,” added Mayor Mihai Chirica.

(Photo source: Mihai Chirica on Facebook)