Line 4 is an underground

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...

line in

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 ...

, 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 ...

. The line color is

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

. The first section opened on 26 November 2022 and the rest of the line expected to open by 2023. Once completed, the line will be long with 21 stations, compared to its current 6 operational stops. The line features automatic driverless trains and is designed for a capacity of 24–28,000 passengers per hour in each direction. The expected annual ridership is 87 million.

Construction

The line was originally planned to be completed in 2015, as part of the works for the

Milan Expo Expo 2015 was a World Expo hosted by Milan, Italy. It opened on May 1 at 10:00 CEST and closed on October 31. Milan hosted an exposition for the second time; the first was the 1906 Milan International. The Bureau International des Exposition ...

. However, delays in planning, financing and construction works forced to postpone the opening, with the first section opening on 26 November 2022 and the rest of the line expected to open by 2023. Once completed, the line will be long with 21 stations, compared to its current 6 operational stops. By June 2023, 2 more will open, and by October 2024, 11 more stops will open. The consortium ATM-

Webuild Webuild SpA (formerly Salini Impregilo SpA) () is an Italian industrial group specialised in the construction and civil engineering business headquartered in Milan. The company was formally founded in 2014 as the result of the merger by incorporat ...

is responsible for the construction works. Of the total estimated cost of about €1.7 billion, the

Government of Italy The government of Italy is in the form of a democratic republic, and was established by a constitution in 1948. It consists of legislative, executive, and judicial subdivisions, as well as a Head of State, or President. The Italian Constitutio ...

will cover €786 million via a grant, the municipal government of Milan will cover €400 million, and €512 million will be funded by private investors.

Route

The line is planned to connect the south-western neighborhood of ''Lorenteggio'' with the Linate Airport on the east, passing through the city center. All stations are underground.

Rolling stock

The line uses Hitachi Rail Italy Driverless Metro automatic driverless trains. The line will be operated by 37 four-car EMUs manufactured by

Hitachi Rail Italy 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#Hitachi Rail, Hitachi Rail o ...

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popul ...

. Because of production problem caused by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, some were sent to

Hitachi Newton Aycliffe Hitachi Newton Aycliffe (also known as Newton Aycliffe Manufacturing Facility) is a railway rolling stock assembly plant owned by Hitachi Rail Europe, situated in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, in the North East of England. Construction star ...

in England for final fitting out.Milan Metro cars in Newton Aycliffe ''

The Railway Magazine ''The Railway Magazine'' is a monthly British railway magazine, aimed at the railway enthusiast market, that has been published in London since July 1897. it was, for three years running, the railway magazine with the largest circulation in t ...

'' issue 1436 November 2020 page 9

References

{{Urban rail transport in Milan 4 2022 in rail transport

Construction

Route

Rolling stock

See also

References