The units of transport of the electrical transport companies of Bender and Tiraspol are mostly old and the companies have debts for the consumed electricity and also for the trolleybuses purchased in leasing. The Transnistrian administration is designing a plan for helping the companies break the impasse and intends to seek assistance from the Russian Federation in implementing it, IPN reports.
Vasili Nigai, head of the Tiraspol Electric Transport Company, was quoted by the Transnistrian press as saying that at least 6-7 million rubles is needed annually to rehabilitate and maintain the contact networks. The company manages six traction substations that also need to be modernized. Investments of €650 are needed in each of these. The poles supporting the contract networks also need to be rehabilitated as 46 have fissures, while 27 are seriously damaged and need to be replaced. A pole costs US$ 390.
The company has debts for the 12 new trolleybuses bought in leasing in 2012. At the start of this year, together with the calculated interest, the payments rose to over 5 million rubles. The debt for electric power totals almost 1 million rubles. Nearly half of the trolleybuses owned by the Tiraspol Electric Transport Company have been used longer than allowed, in some cases by 25-30 years more.
In the case of the Bender Electric Transport Company, the contact lines are almost new, but the trolleybuses are worn-out. According to the company’s director Andrei Reca, the trolleybuses should be used for ten years, but in Bender these have been used for 26 years on average. Of the 33 functional units, only two are new. Several others are about ten years old, while the rest are older. Some of the trolleybuses have been used for 33 years.
The Transnistrian administration instructed the so-called ministry of economy to work out a medium-term development program for the two companies during a month. The authorities of the breakaway republic intend to make approaches to the Russian authorities and seek help.
