Métropole Européenne de Lille Secures €245M Green Loan from EIB for Public Transport Upgrades

The project also benefits from a €31.5 million European Commission grant under the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM), facilitated by the Public Sector Loan Facility (PSLF).

The Métropole Européenne de Lille (MEL) has secured a €245 million green loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to improve its public transport and cycling infrastructure, benefiting around 1.2 million residents with greener, more efficient mobility services.

The Mel in Green Mobility project will modernize MEL's public transport fleet, replacing 30 trams and 42 buses with clean vehicles. Additionally, the project will invest in transport depots and platforms, expand cycling routes by 220 km, and finance a new bus rapid transit line and a multimodal interchange hub.

The project also benefits from a €31.5 million European Commission grant under the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM), facilitated by the Public Sector Loan Facility (PSLF). This blended financing structure is designed to support sustainable mobility in Hauts-de-France, one of the regions facing challenges in the energy transition.

Once completed, the project will reduce private vehicle usage from 56% in 2023 to 40% by 2035, enhance public transport accessibility, and promote intermodal transport solutions, ultimately leading to substantial time savings for the 410,000 daily users of Lille’s public transport network.