Trams in Florence

Last updated

Trams in Florence
Ansaldobreda Sirio Firenze 2027.jpg
Overview
Locale Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Transit type Tram
Number of lines2
Number of stations38
Daily ridership100,000 (2019) [1]
Annual ridership13 million (2015) [2]
Website https://www.gestramvia.it/?lang=en
Operation
Began operation14 February 2010
Operator(s)GEST
Number of vehicles17 AnsaldoBreda Sirio
Train length32 m
Headway 4–6 minutes
Technical
System length16.5 km (10.3 mi)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) [3] [4]
Electrification 750 V DC
Top speed70 km/h (43 mph) [4]
System map

Firenze - mappa rete tranviaria.svg

The Florence tramway network (Italian : Rete tranviaria di Firenze) is an important part of the public transport network of Florence, Italy. It consists of two operational light rail lines.

Contents

Florence, like many other Italian cities, closed down its old tramway network at the end of the 1950s, but has come back to trams in recent years to find a solution to the rising car traffic in the city. The first line in the present network was opened in 2010 to link the city center with the neighboring comune of Scandicci; the second line opened on 11 February 2019, linking the city center with Florence Airport.

The current network operator is GEST (Gestione Servizio tramviario), a subsidiary of the French RATP. [5]

History

1879–1958

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. [6]

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. [7]

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. After few years, the infrastructure was deemed too old and inadequate, and the tramway was definitively closed on 20 January 1958. [8] [9] [10]

Modern tramway (2010)

During the early 2000s, the Florence administration decided to restore the tram service. Works on the first line started in December 2005. [11] Construction works were expected to last for 1,000 days, but eventually it took more than 1,800 days to complete the line. [12]

Line 1 started operation on 14 February 2010. The first part of Line 1, at Scandicci, was 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 considered a success. [13]

On 16 July 2018, the line was extended from Florence Santa Maria Novella railway station to the current northern terminus, Careggi.

Lines

LineTerminalsOpenedLatest extensionLength
(km)		Stops
T1Villa Costanza (Scandicci)Careggi2010201811.526
T2 Peretola Aeroporto Unità2019—5.313

Service starts at 5:30 and stops at 0:30. The headway is 4 minutes from 7:30 to 20:30 and 6 minutes at other times. [14] A journey from end to end of Line 1 takes about 23 minutes. Line 2 opened on February 11, 2019. A journey from end to end takes 22 minutes.

Fares

Fares for Florentine trams are €1,70 per ride, or €15,50 for a ten ride strip. They can be purchased at stations for the trams. [15]

Technical summary

The rolling stock of Line 1 consists of 19 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 metres (980–1,310 ft).

Future plans

Map of the planned tramway Firenze - progetto originario rete tranviaria.jpg
Map of the planned tramway
Line 2 Firenze - progetto originario linea tranviaria 2.jpg
Line 2
LineTerminalsOpening
(planned)		Length
(km)		Stops
T1Villa Costanza (Scandicci)Pontignale ? ?14
T4Santa Maria NovellaLe Piagge[ citation needed ]2018 ? ?

Line 1 extension

An expansion from Scandicci towards Casellina and Pontignale is planned. The new terminus will be near an exit of the A1 motorway. A Park & Ride will also be built.

Line 2

Line 2 currently runs from the airport to Santa Maria Novella railway station, where it interchanges with line 1. From here, the line should run through the city center in two different branches, also serving the Duomo in the initial planning. [17] However, after the recent revisions, the line will probably not pass in Duomo [10] and will run partly underground (4 stops). [18] As of 2022, the route has been finalised for completion at the end of 2023, with new stops at Lavagnini, Poliziano, Parterre, Libertà, Cavour and Piazza San Marco. There will be two Cavour stops as the line will follow the street one-way system. [19]

Line 2 will be 7.5 km (4.7 mi) long [4] and will be fundamental in serving the city center, which is planned to become mainly pedestrian.

Line 3

The name Line 3 was used for the Line 1 section between Santa Maria Novella and Careggi. This section was fully opened on 16 July 2018 and it has now been incorporated into Line 1.

Line 4

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 serve the western part of the city.

Controversies

There were some people who opposed the new tramway lines 2 and 3. A city referendum was held on 17 February 2008. The statute of city referendums do not contains any quorum clause. [20] Of the 39% of the citizens that voted, the majority was against the construction. [21] The municipality decided to disregard the result of the referendum.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florence</span> Largest city in Tuscany, Italy

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 364,073 inhabitants in 2024, and 990,527 in its metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Italy</span>

Italy has a well developed transport infrastructure. The Italian rail network is extensive, especially in the north, and it includes a high-speed rail network that joins the major cities of Italy from Naples through northern cities such as Milan and Turin. The Florence–Rome high-speed railway was the first high-speed line opened in Europe when more than half of it opened in 1977. Italy has 2,507 people and 12.46 km2 per kilometer of rail track, giving Italy the world's 13th largest rail network. The Italian rail network is operated by state-owned Ferrovie dello Stato, while the rail tracks and infrastructure are managed by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Italy</span>

The Italian railway system is one of the most important parts of the infrastructure of Italy, with a total length of 24,567 km (15,265 mi) of which active lines are 16,832 km (10,459 mi). The network has recently grown with the construction of the new high-speed rail network. Italy is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Italy is 83.

Hitachi Rail Italy S.p.A. is a multinational rolling stock manufacturer company based in Pistoia, Italy. Formerly AnsaldoBreda S.p.A., a subsidiary of state-owned Finmeccanica, the company was sold in 2015 to Hitachi Rail of Japan. After the deal was finalized, the current name was adapted in November 2015 to reflect the new ownership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florence–Rome railway</span> Railway line in Italy

The Florence–Rome railway is part of the traditional main north–south trunk line of the Italian railway network. The line is referred to by Ferrovie dello Stato as the Linea Lenta to distinguish it from the parallel high-speed line. The Linea Lenta is now mainly used for regional services, for the InterCity services — rather than the faster Le Frecce trains — between Florence and Rome and for the majority of freight trains. Some types of passenger train are routed on the line to serve smaller stations not served by the high-speed line or in order to improve traffic flow during peak periods or other periods of congestion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airmobile Brigade "Friuli"</span> Military unit

The Airmobile Brigade "Friuli" is an airmobile brigade of the Italian Army, based mainly in the Emilia-Romagna region. The brigade was part of the 1st Defence Forces Command until it was transferred to the Division "Friuli". The brigade's coat of arms depicts a stylized version of the Rocca di Monfalcone castle near the city of Monfalcone in the Friuli region, where the brigade distinguished itself during World War I. Since 1 July 2019 the brigade is part of the Division "Vittorio Veneto".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metrosassari</span>

Metrosassari, also called Sassari tramway, Sassari tram-train or Sassari metro-tramway is the commercial name of a tram-train line in Sassari, Sardinia, Italy, operated by the regional public transport company ARST.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monza railway station</span> Railway station in Monza, Lombardy, Italy

Monza railway station is the main station serving the city and comune of Monza, in the region of Lombardy, northern Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faenza railway station</span>

Faenza railway station serves the city and comune of Faenza, in the region of Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. Opened in 1893, it forms part of the Bologna–Ancona railway, and is also a terminus of two secondary railways, linking Faenza with Lavezzola and with Ravenna, and with Florence, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peschiera del Garda railway station</span> Railway station in Italy

Peschiera del Garda railway station serves the town and comune of Peschiera del Garda, in the region of Veneto, northern Italy. Opened in 1854, it forms part of the Milan–Venice railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firenze Rifredi railway station</span>

Firenze Rifredi railway station, or Florence Rifredi railway station, serves the city and comune of Florence, in the region of Tuscany, central Italy. It is the third most important railway station in Florence, after Firenze Santa Maria Novella and Firenze Campo di Marte. It also forms part of the traditional Bologna–Florence railway, and the railways linking Florence with Viareggio, and Pisa and Livorno, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Naples</span>

The Naples tramway network is located within the city and comune of Naples, in the region of Campania, southern Italy. In operation since 1875, the network has waxed and waned in size and vitality over the years, and is now growing once again. It is now 11.8 km (7.3 mi) long, and comprises three routes, known as lines 1, 2 and 4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Messina</span>

The Messina tramway is a tramway forming part of the public transport system in Messina, a city and comune in the region of Sicily, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Milan</span>

The Milan tramway network is part of the public transport network of Milan, Italy, operated by Azienda Trasporti Milanesi (ATM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Turin</span>

The Turin tramway network is an important part, along with the Turin Metro, of the public transport network of the city and comune of Turin, in the Piedmont region, northwest Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Lugano</span> Lugano tramway network (1896-1964)

The Lugano tramway network was part of the public transport network of Lugano, in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland, for over half a century. Opened in 1896, the network was progressively replaced by the Lugano trolleybus system by 1959, with one independent line surviving until 1964.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Florence, Tuscany, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Bologna</span>

The Bologna tramway network was an important part of the public transport network of Bologna, Italy. It was established in 1880 and discontinued in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Palermo</span> Tram system in Palermo, Italy


The Palermo tramway network is part of the public transport network of Palermo, Italy. It consists of four operational light rail lines; three more lines were under planning as of 2015

The Bologna tramway network is a tramway network under construction in Bologna, Italy.

References

  1. ↑ "Tramvia: le corse più affollate - TGR Toscana". rainews.it. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  2. ↑ "Statistiche". mobilita.comune.fi.it (in Italian). Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  3. ↑ "La nuova rete tranviaria di Firenze". MondoTram. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 "Linea 2 - descrizione" (PDF). Progetto esecutivo - elaborati generali. Comune di Firenze. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  5. ↑ "Chi siamo". GEST. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  6. ↑ "La nostra storia - 1865-1890". ATAF. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  7. ↑ "La nostra storia - 1913-1934". ATAF. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  8. ↑ "La nostra storia - 1945-1966". ATAF. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  9. ↑ "Domenica 14 febbraio parte la tramvia. Numeri e curiosità". Nove da Firenze. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  10. 1 2 "Linee 2 e 3 della nuova tramvia di Firenze". Consorzio Toscano Cooperative. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  11. ↑ "La nostra storia - 2000-2005". ATAF. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  12. ↑ "In quarantamila su Sirio". Corriere Fiorentino. 14 February 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  13. ↑ "Tutti pazzi per Sirio Boom di viaggiatori in tram". la Repubblica Firenze. 18 January 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  14. ↑ "Orari". GEST. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  15. ↑ "Tickets | GEST" . Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  16. ↑ "Caratteristiche generali del sistema tramviario" (PDF). Comune di Firenze. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  17. ↑ "Tramvia". Amministrazione - Rete civica. Comune di Firenze. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  18. ↑ "Il tram? Diventa sotterraneo". Corriere Fiorentino. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  19. ↑ "Il sistema tranviario".
  20. ↑ - Statute of referendums of the municipality of Florence Archived 2012-02-25 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ↑ "Referendum Tramvia 2008". Comune di Firenze. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2011.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Trams in Florence at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.