Brussels, 02/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) will help to improve transport in northern France and in Puglia, Italy. The Commission has freed up funding for major projects requiring its approval because their total cost is above €50 million.
€2.5 million from the ERDF will go to continuing the construction of the Valenciennes tramway in the Nord-Pas de Calais (total cost €106.15 million). Thanks to this additional 15.5-km tramline, the conurbation is expected to increase the number of tram users to 2.91 million by 2015. The project is also expected to provide around 400 jobs. The European commission for regional development, Johannes Hahn, said that this project would also help to improve the quality of life of its citizens, “by increasing the provision of public transport and access for the boroughs it serves by reducing road traffic in the region and CO2 emissions. This project will also have a positive impact on economic activity and the urbanisation of the boroughs that it covers”.
In the Puglia region of Italy, European intervention will be more substantial, with an ERDF contribution of up to €64.3 million for a railway project worth €120.6 million in total. The railway line will include 10.5 kilometres of new double track line, which will reduce travel time. The European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) will also be installed on the existing rail network making its safer and more reliable. Commissioner Hahn said that this should help to boost competitiveness in the region, “with the switch of many transport activities from road to rail, Italian citizens will also benefit from improvements to the environment while also helping to contribute to our wider climate goals under the EUROPE 2020 Agenda”. (MD/transl.fl)