| Tranvia di Firenze | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Info | |||
| Locale | Florence, Italy | ||
| Transit type | tram | ||
| Number of lines | 1 | ||
| Number of stations | 14 | ||
| Daily ridership | 40.000[1] | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 14 February 2010 | ||
| Operator(s) | GEST | ||
| Number of vehicles | 17 AnsaldoBreda Sirio | ||
| Headway | 4 - 6 minutes | ||
| Technical | |||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) [2][3] | ||
| Top speed | 70 km/h (43 mph)[3] | ||
|
|||
Trams in Florence consists of one operational fast tram line and two others under construction.[4] The first line was opened in 2010 linking the city center with the neighboring comune of Scandicci.
Florence, like many other Italian cities, dismissed its old tramway network at the end of the 1950s, but is coming back to trams in recent years to find a solution to the rising car traffic in the city.
The current network operator is GEST (Gestione Servizio tramviario), a public company owned by ATAF[5] (49%) and RATPdev (51%), subsidiary of the French RATP.[6]
Contents |
The first horse-drawn tramway in Florence was inaugurated on 5 April 1879. It linked the city center to Peretola. One year later the original line was extended to reach Prato and Poggio a Caiano. The tramway was managed by Società dei Tramways Fiorentini.[7]
In 1898 the company bought out Tranvia del Chianti company and in the same year the lines were electrified.
In 1926 the tram was considered already obsolete, and the first bus routes started. In 1934 the company responsible for the service went out of business.[8]
During the Second World War the tramway was severely damaged, and the network was fully restored only in 1951. From the end of the war the tramway was managed by ATAF. However, after few years the infrastructure was deemed too old and inadequate, and the tramway was definitively closed on 20 January 1958.[9][10][11]
During the beginning of the 2000s the Florence administration decided to restore the tram service.
Works on the first line started on December 2005.[12] Construction works were expected to last for 1,000 days, but eventually it took more than 1,800 days to complete the line.[13] The line started operation on 14 February 2010.
| Route |
|---|
|
The first part of the line, at Scandicci, is the first rail public transport service in the area.
During the first 10 months of service, the total passenger served were 7 million, a result which has been considered a success. [14]
Service starts at 5:30 and stops at 0:30. The headway is 4 minutes from 7.30 to 20.30 and 6 minutes elsewhere.[15] A journey from end to end takes about 23 minutes.
The rolling stock consists of 17 AnsaldoBreda Sirio, already in use in other cities in Italy and around the world. The route is mainly on reserved lanes.[16] Stops are located at a distance of 300-400 m.
| Line | Terminals | Opened (planned) |
Length (km) |
Stops | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Villa Costanza (Scandicci) | Santa Maria Novella | 2010 | 7.4 | 14 |
| T2 | Peretola Airport | Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia | 2014 | 7.5[3] | 18 |
| T3 | Careggi | Santa Maria Novella | ? | 3.4[17] | 9 |
| T4 | Santa Maria Novella | Le Piagge | ? | ? | ? |
An expansion from Scandicci towards Casellina and Pontignale is planned. The new terminus will be near an exit of the A1 motorway. A car parking will also be built.
Line 2 will run from the airport to the new Florence High-speed rail station and then to Santa Maria Novella railway station, where it will interchange with line 1. From that point the line run through the city center in two different branches, also serving the Duomo in the initial planning.[18] However, after the recent revisions, the line will probably not pass in Duomo[11] and will run partly underground (4 stops).[19]
Line 2 will be 7.5 km (4.7 mi) long[3] and will be fundamental in connecting the Airport to the new High-speed rail station and in serving the city center, which is planned to become mainly pedestrian.
Line 3 will run from Careggi Hospital in the north to Santa Maria Novella railway station, where it will interchange with Line 1 and 2. The line will serve the northern metropolitan area of Florence. [18]
Line 4 is the long-term plan which will complete the city tramway. The line will have a terminus at Santa Maria Novella railway station and will probably split in two branches to serve the eastern part of the city.
There were some people who opposed the new tramway lines 2 and 3. A city referendum was held on 17 February 2008. However, the legal number was not reached, since only 37% of people actually voted. Among them, opinions were slightly against the construction.[20]