Tragedy

Derailed tram in Milan, previous cases in Italia since 1984

A tram derailed in Milan causing two fatalities and injuries. Here is the long series of precedents not only in the Lombard capital

27 February 2026

Deragliamento tram in Viale Vittorio Veneto. IL sindaco - Milano, Italia - Venerdì, 27 febbraio 2026 (foto Stefano Porta / LaPresse)

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The derailment of the tram on line 9 in Milan that occurred in the afternoon of 27 February has a long history, not only in the Lombard capital.

In September 1984, it was the Opicina Tramway (Trieste) that went off the rails. The tram, which connects the capital with the plateau of the same name, had resumed service three months after a series of modernisation works on the line.

Instead, it was ice that caused the derailment of two trams in Turin in December 1996: a vehicle of line 4 in Corso Matteotti and one of line 15 in Corso San Maurizio, but without causing any injuries.

Ten years later, a heavy snowfall caused a tram derailment in Milan. The vehicle went off the tracks and crashed into a lorry in Piazza Caneva, resulting in two minor injuries.

In May 2008, a car hit a tram in Milan's Precotto district, causing it to derail. That same year, due to controversy over the malfunctioning of some old switches, Atm launched a replacement plan involving more than 60 switches in the Lombard capital.

Also in Milan, in February 2014 it was the uneven pavement that caused a tram in Via Tivoli to go off the tracks. The rail vehicle hit a car, slightly injuring the occupants, with some minor bruising for the driver as well.

Four years later, a tram derailed in Padua, causing four injuries, also minor.

A tram derailed in the centre of Milan in July 2018. According to reconstructions, the driver of a first vehicle failed to ascertain the position of the switch, thus colliding with the second tram in Via Broletto. The toll was several injured passengers.

In February 2019, again in Milan, it was instead a stone that caused a tram on line 19 to derail, without causing any injuries.

In June of the same year there was another derailment in Padua, with a toll of five injured. Other accidents followed in the same year, prompting the public prosecutor's office in Padua to open a file.

No one was injured in Milan when a tram derailed in February 2020, as well as in Florence two years later.

In July 2023, on the other hand, a tram that went off the tracks in Milan's Piazza Abbiategrasso caused four injuries, who were transported to hospital, but none were in a serious condition.