Togliatti Tram will serve Rome's three subways and the FL2 railway line in the east of the city.

Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri on Monday inaugurated the construction site for the Togliatti Tram, a new 8-km tram line in the eastern suburbs of the Italian capital.

The €184 million project, financed by Italy's Recovery and Resilience Plan PNRR funds, will run along Viale Palmiro Togliatti and will connect to Rome's subway network and the FL2 railway line.

The new tram will serve the Metro B at Ponte Mammolo, Metro A at Subaugusta and Metro C at Centocelle, the city said in a statement.

The Togliatti line, which will have a frequency of four minutes during rush hour and an estimated total capacity of 42,000 passengers per day, is due for completion in June 2026.

• Rome unveils new high-tech bus shelters

Hailing it as "a historic and extraordinarily important" construction site for the city, Gualtieri said the new line "will revolutionise public transport in a non-central area, finally overcoming the principle according to which the important lines are only those that reach the centre of Rome".

Currently all trams in Rome have been replaced with buses during the final phase of major upgrading works at the Porta Maggiore tram depot.

The transformation of the key tram hub is designed to accommodate new 33-metre trams - replacing the existing 28-m model - with all tram lines set to be in operation again by early December.

The extensive works to renew tram infrastructure in Rome comes ahead of the Vatican's Jubilee Year 2025 when the Eternal City is set to welcome 32 million tourists and pilgrims.