The “tram revolution” continues, stronger than ever

Since inaugurating the expansion of Line 1 on July 16, 2018, the City of Florence has been on path towards the total modernization of its tram network, opening Line 2 on February 11, 2019, and settling plans for two additional lines in the years to come.

The first statistics for this expanded transport network have been made available recently to the public, and the numbers are positive: for Line 1, an average of over two million passengers per month were recorded in early 2019, equal to a 1.6% increase compared to the previous year, while Line 2 has averaged 790,000 passengers per month since its inauguration. The statistics also demonstrate this transport system’s low environmental impact. Due to the expanded network, it has been estimated that 27 million people have started to use public transport, resulting in 10% less private traffic, 12 million less kilograms of CO2 and 4.2 less tons of PM10 every year.

Bolstered by these positive trends, plans are underway to continue expanding the network over the next few years. Work on extending Line 2 will begin in the spring of 2020, which will branch off at the Fortezza da Basso in the direction of piazza della Libertà/San Marco before circling back to Libertà. A third line is currently being approved and will be made possible thanks to 305 million euro in European funding. Running all the way to Bagno a Ripoli, work on the line is planned for late 2020 to September 2023.

A final fourth line is planned between Leopolda and Le Piagge, whose construction is expected to begin in December 2020 and will be entirely financed with national funds totaling 166 million euro. It is estimated that Line 4 will provide transportation for an additional 4.5 million people, who will be able to connect to the historic centre from their homes in the suburbs.