Belgrade City Integrated Transport

Project Description

The City of Belgrade is the centre of economic and cultural activities in Serbia and the wider region. The capacity and condition of the existing transportation system are close to saturation resulting in congestion and poor service provision. This is expected to worsen over time, given the rising urban population and constant increase in the number of registered cars in Belgrade, as well as the growing mobility demands of the population.

The project has an overall dual objective: i) improve capacity, and ii) enhance the quality of the urban public transport. The investments are implemented in two phases. Phase I, which ran between 2004 and 2012,  was financed by the EIB and co-financed by a EUR 6 million WBIF investment grant under the IPF-Municipal Window. The works focused on the main transport corridors in the city, covering 17.5 km, which were rehabilitated to modern streets with revitalised tramway networks. Phase II further improves the road and tram infrastructure, assisting in traffic management, as well as with the City's ability to manage and protect street assets. The priorities include tram track reconstruction and new track maintenance along the main city streets in Old Belgrade and New Belgrade, general street and square refurbishment and reconstruction, as well as traffic management installation on certain sections.

Phase II is supported by a EUR 57 million loan provided by EBRD, while the remainder of the global Urban Renewal Programme II will be financed in by the City of Belgrade and other sources. Additional WBIF technical assistance has been allocated to help with:

• upgrading the City's transport master plan (including a Strategic Environmental Assessment in conformity with EU Directives);
• preparation for eligible investment projects (including feasibility studies and detailed design of the eligible investment components); and
• targeted capacity building and implementation support for a new integrated Project Management Unit.

The direct beneficiary of the project is the City of Belgrade and its growing population of nearly 2 million people. The investments have increased the performance of public transport on the main streets in the City, have reduced congestion levels, and improved road and street management to maximise its economic benefits. The project also promotes new energy-efficient technologies that go significantly beyond the current standards.