ITALY: A €14·6bn plan for investment in rail infrastructure in Lombardia during 2019-25 was presented to President of the region Attilio Fontana by FS Group CEO & Managing Director Gianfranco Battisti and RFI Chief Executive Maurizio Gentile on February 20. The cost is to be met by infrastructure manager RFI and the regional authority.

The RFI network in Lombardia currently covers 1 740 km, of which 1 457 km is electrified.  

The plans for 2019-25 include the construction of a line to Bergamo’s Caravaggio International Airport, Italy’s third biggest. ETCS is to be deployed to increase capacity in the Milano area by 2022, with ACC-M computerised interlockings to be installed on the Bergamo – Rovato (2019, 32 km), Voghera – Piacenza (2020, 58 km), Carnate-Usmate – Ponte San Pietro (2020, 18 km), Romano – Brescia (2020, 37 km), Milano – Domodossola (2022, 106 km) and Milano – Tortona (2024, 70 km) routes.

The Chiasso – Monza (39 km) and Carnate-Usmate – Monza (12 km) lines would be resignalled in 2021, along with the Gallarate, Milano Lambrate and Milan Porta Garibaldi station areas in 2022. 

The Ponte San Pietro – Bergamo – Montello-Gorlago (19 km), Milano – Mortara (44 km) and Gallarate – Rho (25 km) lines are to be modernised, the Codogno – Cremona – Mantova (90 km) route double tracked and the Tortona – Voghera (16 km) and Milano Rogoredo – Pavia (29 km) sections of the Milano – Genova line quadrupled.  

A total of 110 level crossings are to be eliminated, and a €150m programme of station modernisation works will focus on improving accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility.