ITALY: The initial 5·7 km eastern section of metro Line M4 in Milano opened between Linate Airport and Dateo on November 26.
The opening ceremony for the city’s fifth metro line was held at 12.30 by Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milano and Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, and Minister of Infrastructure & Transport Matteo Salvini. Celebrations included free travel for residents over the weekend.
When complete M4 will connect Linate Airport in the east with San Cristoforo railway station in the southwest, serving 21 stations over 15 route-km.
The six-station initial section is not yet connected to the rest of the metro network, though interchange is provided with suburban trains at Forlanini.
The line is being built under a design, built and maintain contract awarded to a consortium led by Webuild.
The civil works contractor said its technical know-how had been put to work during boring of the tunnels, which was completed in September 2020. Artistic and historic monuments including the Verziere Column and a medieval wall on Via Francesco Sforza have been temporarily relocated for protection, and are to be reinstated in their original places after cleaning and restoration.
‘It has been an enormous effort to work both above and below the city contemporaneously, contributing to a redesign of what lies below the surface and what lies above it with projects of urban renewal’, said Webuild CEO Pietro Salini.
The line will be operated by 47 four-car trainsets supplied by Hitachi Rail Italy; the first was delivered in July 2019. The Class 4400 trains are 50 m long and have a capacity of 600 passengers. They have a maximum speed of 80 km/h, powered by a 750 V DC third rail supply.
As with Line M5 which opened in stages from 2013, M4 is fully automated.
Next sections
The next section to open will be the 1·6 km from Dateo to San Babila in June 2023, with the 7·7 km San Babila – San Cristoforo section to follow in October 2024.
In March this year the infrastructure ministry confirmed funding worth €420m to support construction of a 3·1 km two-station extension east from Linate Airport to Segrate, where an interchange will be provided with the Milano – Verona high speed line. Completion is planned for 2026.
