A Loan to Upgrade the Public Transport Network in Cartagena in Colombia
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Sotramac - Couloir excusif pour les bus de Transcaribe COLOMBIA SOTRAMAC: A loan to upgrade the public transport network in Cartagena in Colombia Esteban Castaño pour Proparco Cartagena has designed a new, more efficient transport network, in particular thanks to the construction of bus rapid transit lanes. In this context, thanks to this financing, SOTRAMAC will put into service a fleet of buses running on compressed natural gas. This project will improve urban mobility. The replacement of old buses and reduction in traffic will also reduce CO2 emissions. PROJECT DESCRIPTION This information is given It involves financing an urban transport project in the city of at the time of signature, Cartagena in Colombia. This financing will allow SOTRAMAC to without prejudice to any developments in the continue to put into service 222 buses running on compressed operation/project natural gas, which will be integrated into the TransCaribe system. TransCaribe is a harmonized bus network from a technical and tariff point of view, organized on the basis of a 15/05/2018 main BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) lane and a number of secondary Date of signature of the project lines. This new, innovative public transport system will replace traditional public transport services provided by a large Industry and Services number of independent and uncoordinated operators. It will sector(s) revolutionize travel in the city by offering users faster and less Colombia expensive routes. Location Loan CLIENT PRESENTATION Financing tool SOTRAMAC is one of the three concession companies of the 24 000 000 Euros new public transport system in Cartagena, the TransCaribe Amount of funding network. The 19-year concession was awarded by Cartagena Loan of EUR 24m District in 2014 following a bid invitation and covers part of the Financing details lines of the TransCaribe system, including its central corridor. In this context, SOTRAMAC will supply and operate 222 buses Sociedad Operadora de running on natural gas. Transporte Masivo de SOTRAMAC is an SPV set up and controlled by Si-99, a highly Cartagena SOTRAMAC SAS experienced Colombian BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) operator, Client which is also one of the current operators of the BRT network in Bogota (the “Transmilenio”). B+ CES PROJECT IMPACT This BRT project will considerably improve urban mobility in Cartagena by creating modern and accessible transport infrastructure. The service operated by SOTRAMAC will cover all the urban areas, including those which are far from the city center. A total of 198,000 passengers are expected every day on the 18 lines operated by SOTRAMAC (i.e. 44% of the 452,000 passengers on the entire BRT network under concession in the city). Travel times will be greatly reduced thanks to the creation of dedicated infrastructure. The replacement of old diesel buses by modern natural gas buses will have a significant impact on air pollution with an expected reduction in pollutant emissions. Furthermore, the project will reduce CO2 emissions by 33,000 teq every year thanks to the reduction in the number of buses and the efficiency of the system. The project will also create or maintain 520 direct jobs, mainly for drivers, and support 457 indirect jobs (service providers). SOTRAMAC’s employees will benefit from a skills transfer thanks to training, in particular in efficient driving and fatigue management. Some 235 drivers from the old system (15% of the total number of current drivers) will be employed by SOTRAMAC. This will give these drivers access to a formal job and they will benefit from training offered by the operator..