The government of St. Petersburg in Russia has awarded the contract concession for the tram project to a consortium of Gazprombank and ABZ-1 Group. The consortium will be responsible for the design, build and operation of tram service link between Kupchino metro station at the southern end of Line 2 toSlavyanka district in St. Petersburg. The tram link would be 21 km long and will include 15 stations. The project is divided into two phases, in first phase the line will connect Kupchino metro station to Shushary and in the second phase, the route will be extended to the south from Shushary to Slavyanka. The project also involves the building of a depot. The concession period for the project is 30 years.
The first stage of construction (from Balkan Square to the village of Shushary) will be put into operation no later than four years from the date of conclusion of the concession agreement, the second stage of construction (from the village of Shushary to microdistrict Slavyanka) - no later than five years from the date of conclusion of the concession agreement .
Private investment will amount to at least RUB 25.9 billion (US$ 404.12 million).
Infrastructure works excluding the depot are estimated to cost RUB 21.5 billion (USD 336.75 million), with a further RUB 2.7 billion (USD 42.29 million) roubles to be spent on a fleet of 21 trams.
The new tram line will pass through the Frunzensky and Pushkinsky districts of St. Petersburg and involves the construction of five elevated structures, such as flyovers and bridges. This will help to avoid crossing the line with existing major highways, unload the road network and not create traffic jams during peak hours. The project provides for the purchase of three-section 100% low-floor trams designed for comfortable transportation at high and low temperatures. The average speed of the tram, including stops, will be 25 km/h. In the trams, a passenger counting system will be introduced, devices will be installed to pay for travel and purchase one-time tickets, including by bank transfer, and Internet access will be provided.
