Reggio Emilia looks forward to getting its first tramway line

The project was presented and if approved, it can become a reality by 2026

Earlier this month, the authorities of Reggio Emilia in Italy presented a detailed plan on the construction and possible impact of introducing a tramway line in the city. If approved by the Transport Ministry, the project will make the city and neighbouring municipality much more sustainable, green and pleasant to live in overall.

The previewed line, tentatively called T1, will be 14.5 kilometres long and will connect the residential areas in the south with the industrial zones in the north of Reggio Emilia, passing through the downtown, as well. The total estimated cost of the project, including rolling stock, was reported to be 282.3 million euros.

This is good news for the EU Year of the Rail

Urban railway transport, such as tramways and light rail have proven time and again the overall benefit that they bring to residents of large cities and have been doing so for more than a century.

“What we are presenting today is a large-scale, ambitious and daring project for the functioning and sustainable future of our city illustrating the route of the T1 tramway to the press - It is a work that, as already happened for the Mediopadana high-speed station which repositioned Reggio Emilia in Italy and Europe, is destined to change the city, styles and preferences mobility and to affect north-south mobility on a functional level,” said Mayor Luca Vecchi on the occasion.

Officials are hoping that up to a quarter of the urban population will opt for this public mobility alternative once they see its benefits, which in turn will greatly contribute to air pollution reduction and calmer traffic flows.

The tram line is expected to have 30 stops and 16 trains running on it (each of them with a capacity of 200 passengers). That also means that more people can be carried over the same route while leaving a much smaller carbon footprint and incurring fewer expenses.

It was reported that once the ministry approves the feasibility study, the tender call can be launched by the end of 2022 and the overall work completed by 2026.