Line 3 (''Linea Tre'' in
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
, also known as M3) is a subway line serving
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. The line is part of the
Milan Metro
The Milan Metro ( it, Metropolitana di Milano) is the rapid transit system serving Milan, Italy, operated by Azienda Trasporti Milanesi. The network consists of 5 lines, identified by different numbers and colours, with a total network length of ...
and is operated by
ATM. Construction began in 1981 in order to be ready for the
1990 Football World Cup. It is also called the Yellow Line (''
Linea Gialla'') as it is identified by yellow signage.
The line connects the south-eastern suburb of
San Donato Milanese
San Donato Milanese (Milanese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan. It is served by the San Donato underground station right on the borderline betw ...
to the north-western area of the city passing through the city centre. It is 17.1 km long with 21 stations.
History
![Metro-milano-interno-a](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Metro-milano-interno-a.jpg)
The proposal for a third metro line was approved by Milan municipality in 1977. The route was chosen based on a study of main traffic routes in previous years. The final project was presented in early 1981 and works on the new line began on 8 September of the same year.
The first section, from
Centrale to
Duomo
''Duomo'' (, ) is an Italian term for a church with the features of, or having been built to serve as, a cathedral, whether or not it currently plays this role. Monza Cathedral, for example, has never been a diocesan seat and is by definition not ...
was opened on 3 May 1990, just before the beginning of the
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
. However, only a shuttle service was active between the two terminus. The line was extended to
Porta Romana at the end of the year.
New extensions to
Sondrio
Sondrio (; lmo, Sùndri; rm, Sunder; archaic german: Sünders or ; la, Sundrium) is an Italian city and ''comune'' and Provincial Capital located in the heart of the Valtellina. , Sondrio counts approximately 21,876 inhabitants (2015) and it is ...
on the north and to
San Donato on the south opened on 12 May 1991.
Works on the new line slowed during the following years.
Zara station was inaugurated only on 16 December 1995 and
Maciachini on 8 December 2003.
The last extension (Maciachini-Comasina) opened in early 2011.
Route
The line, 16.6-kilometre long with 21 stations, runs from Comasina to San Donato, entirely underground
Rolling stock
Trains use an
overhead contact system
An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, trolleybuses or trams. It is known variously as:
* Overhead catenary
* Overhead contact system (OCS)
* Overhead equipm ...
providing a voltage of . The track gauge is the .
As of 2020, there are two types of trains running on the line:
The 8000 Series, built between 1989 and 2003 and the
900 Series ''"Meneghino"'', introduced in 2011 for the line's extension to Comasina.
The 8000 Series has three subseries:
- "standard" 8000 Series, built by a consortium of
Breda
Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...
,
Fiat Ferroviaria
Alstom Ferroviaria S.p.A., former Fiat Ferroviaria S.p.A., is the Italian division of Alstom. Fiat Ferroviaria S.p.A. was the rail division of automobile manufacturer Fiat. It was founded in 1880 as Società Nazionale Officine di Savigliano. and OMS, with
GTO–
VVVF
A variable-frequency drive (VFD) is a type of motor drive used in electro-mechanical drive systems to control AC motor speed and torque by varying motor input frequency and, depending on Topology (electrical circuits), topology, to control asso ...
inverters made by
ABB
ABB Ltd. is a Swedish- Swiss multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland. The company was formed in 1988 when Sweden's Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget (ASEA) and Switzerland's Brown, Boveri & Cie merged to crea ...
.
- 8080 Series, built by
Socimi
Società Costruzioni Industriali Milano, better known as Socimi, was an Italian manufacturing company based in Milan. It was a manufacturer of trams, metro trains; traction motors for these and for trolleybuses; and bodies for motorbuses and trol ...
, with GTO–VVVF inverters made by
Hitachi
() is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Ni ...
.
- 8100 Series, air-conditioned, walk-through version of the older 8000s introduced in 2003 for the line's extension to Machiachini.
Planned extension
A south extension of the line is planned. The new section will run from
San Donato through the municipalities of
San Donato Milanese
San Donato Milanese (Milanese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan. It is served by the San Donato underground station right on the borderline betw ...
,
Peschiera Borromeo
Peschiera Borromeo (; Milanese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on August 6, ...
,
Mediglia
Mediglia (Milanese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombar ...
,
Pantigliate
Pantigliate ( lmo, Pantijaa or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about east of Milan.
Pantigliate borders the following municipalities: Rodano, Settala
Settala ( lmo, ...
,
Settala
Settala ( lmo, Settara ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about east of Milan. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 6,460 and an area of .All demographics and other statisti ...
and
Paullo
Paullo ( lmo, Paull , locally ) is a (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan. As of 30 April 2014, it had a population of 11,333 and an area of .All demographics and other ...
. The extension will be long with 6 stations and will be mostly underground (60%).
Although the project was approved in 2010, it was put on hold at the beginning of 2011 due to lack of funds. Works were planned to start in a future year.
Notes and references
External links
Official ATM websiteMilan Metro Map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Line M3 - Milan Subway (Metropolitana Di Milano)
3
Railway lines opened in 1990