Line 5 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 ...

. The line, also known as M5 or the Purple Line (''Linea Viola'' in Italian), is long and goes through the city from the north to the north-west. It opened in stages between 2013 and 2015. The line operates using

AnsaldoBreda Driverless Metro The Hitachi Rail Italy Driverless Metro is a class of driverless electric multiple units and corresponding signaling system. Manufactured by Hitachi Rail Italy (formerly AnsaldoBreda) and Hitachi Rail STS (former name Ansaldo STS) in Italy, it ...

vehicles.

Route

The line is fully underground, with a total length of and serving 19 stations. It runs from Bignami to the north of the city to San Siro Stadio to the south-west in less than 26 minutes.

Map

Operation

The line is equipped with a

third-rail A third rail, also known as a live rail, electric rail or conductor rail, is a method of providing electric power to a railway locomotive or train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway ...

power supply at a voltage of 750 V in

direct current Direct current (DC) is one-directional flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, insulators, or even ...

. It is the first line in Milan with a fully automatic management and driving system, as well as the first to have

platform screen doors Platform screen doors (PSDs), also known as platform edge doors (PEDs), are used at some train, rapid transit and people mover stations to separate the platform from train tracks, as well as on some bus rapid transit, tram and light rail syste ...

. The entire line is controlled and managed by a single control centre, located at the depot at the Bignami terminus. The line is connected to the rest of the network by a track between Isola and Garibaldi FS stations, which allows trains to reach the M2 line and then the Precotto depot on the M1 line, the closest one that is able to carry out repairs. The platforms and trains are 50 meters long, compared to 110 of the other three lines of the Milan Metro. However, thanks to very high frequencies the passenger capacity is high at 24,000 passengers per hour. Although the complete automation allows a maximum frequency of one train every 90 seconds (75 in some cases), the current maximum frequency is 150 seconds due to the limited number of trains available.

Management

The company responsible for construction works and operation is ''Metro 5 S.p.A.'', a consortium of: *

Ansaldo STS Hitachi Rail STS SpA (from ''Hitachi Rail Signalling and Transportation Systems'') or Hitachi Rail STS (previously Ansaldo STS) is a transportation company owned by Hitachi with a global presence in the field of railway signalling and integrated t ...

(24.6%) *

Astaldi Astaldi S.p.A. is an Italian multinational major construction company based in Rome. The group is active in the fields of civil engineering, hydraulic engineering, Electromechanical Engineering and transportation. Significant subsidiaries incl ...

(23.3%) *

Azienda Trasporti Milanesi The Azienda Trasporti Milanesi (ATM) is the municipal public transport company of Milan and 46 surrounding metropolitan municipalities. It operates 5 metro lines (see Milan Metro), 17 tram lines (see Trams in Milan), 121 bus lines and 4 trolleybu ...

(20.0%) * Torno Global Contracting (15.4%) *

Alstom Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Avelia ...

(9.4%) *

AnsaldoBreda 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 dea ...

(7.3%) ''Metro 5'' covered 40% of global construction costs, and will operate the line for 27 years from the opening.

Rolling stock

Linea M5 - lilla - Milano - treni ansaldo - 02

The line uses 21 four-car

articulated An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivot joint in its construction, allowing it to turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains. Steam locomotives were someti ...

driverless trains from AnsaldoBreda (now

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 ...

), part of the AnsaldoBreda Driverless Metro system. Classified Series 5500, they were designed by

Giugiaro Giorgetto Giugiaro (; born 7 August 1938) is an Italian automotive designer. He has worked on supercars and popular everyday vehicles. He was born in Garessio, Cuneo, Piedmont. Giugiaro was named Car Designer of the Century in 1999 and inducted ...

, and are about long, wide, with seating for 96 and a maximum capacity 536 passengers. The systems are controlled by a fully automated computer system, located at the control and maintenance center.

Future extensions

A northern extension from Bignami to

Monza Monza (, ; lmo, label=Lombard language, Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po River, Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capit ...

has been approved. It will consist of 11 new stations and the opening is foreseen in 2027.

References

External links

Metro5 – official websiteAzienda Trasporti Milanesi

News about Milan Metro 5
{{Underground rapid transit in the European Union 5 Railway lines opened in 2013