News Transport

Rome proposes tram from Roman Forum to Piazza Vittorio

By: Wanted in Rome

Date:

07 Feb, 2018

Second phase of Rome's tram project would connect Via dei Fori Imperiali with Piazza Venezia.

Rome city council has presented plans to introduce a new tramline connecting Via dei Fori Imperiali with Piazza Vittorio as part of its plan to connect the "new environmental island" in the Monti district.

The tram would run from Largo Corrado Ricci, beside the Roman Forum, up Via Cavour, Via Giovanni Lanza and Via dello Statuto as far as Piazza Vittorio in the Esquilino neighbourhood, where there is a Metro A connection.

The city says it has already sanctioned a budget of €5 million for the project but will be seeking additional funding from the Italian transport ministry.

Rome's transport councillor Linda Meleo said that work could start by May 2019 and that the construction of the new tram line would take 12 to 16 months to complete. The tramline would have three stops and would be able to transport 2,600 passengers an hour during peak times, according to Meleo.

Part of the capital's urban plan of sustainable mobility, known as "Pums", the new tram project allows for the opportunity to "rethink pedestrian systems and the relationship between Monti and the archaeological area", according to Rome's urban transformation councillor Luca Montuori.

The city says the second phase of the project would involve making a tram connection from Largo Corrado Ricci to Piazza S. Marco, just off Piazza Venezia.

In 2013 the city relocated the terminal of the Tram 8 from Largo Argentina to Piazza S. Marco. The 450-m section of extra track cost €6.6 million, meaning the city will require significant additional funding from the transport ministry to complete the 1.5-km tramline from Largo Corrado Ricci to Piazza Vittorio.

The last time a tram trundled between Via Giovanni Lanza and Via Cavour was in 1976.

Separately, the timetable of the number 3 tram, which connects Trastevere with Valle Giulia, has been extended by two hours. The tram now ends its service each night at half past midnight instead of 22.30.

Photo Roma Sparita