Milan anticipates full opening of Metro 4 in September

M4 Milan, the blue line of Milan's metro system, is currently closed and trains are being replaced by buses until 6 August in order to complete the technical tests for the full opening of the line. So far, the timetable communicated by Arrigo Giana, director of Atm (the Milanese public transport company controlled by the City of Milan), has been confirmed: in summer 2023 the M4 line, which originates from Linate airport, will be extended to San Babila. The inauguration took place on 4 July last year, while completion of the line is expected in autumn this year. In total, the route includes 15 kilometres with 21 stops. The goal is to have the metro running all the way to San Cristoforo Fs, the future western terminus, by the end of September (initially there was talk of the end of the year). The compulsory tests are continuing; the line is undergoing several shutdown periods, then final authorisations will have to be awaited to open it entirely to the public. Some stations in the central section, including the section from Sforza Policlinico to Sant'Ambrogio, could be delayed until the end of the year because they are further behind schedule. But this is still to be verified.

The mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, in a recent live social broadcast confirmed the municipality's commitment to open the entire line by the end of September, but without giving a precise date. The entire work, the mayor recalls, cost '2.3 billion and will have a frequency of 90 seconds at peak times'. At the moment, the blue line travels from Linate to San Babila with a journey time of about 14 minutes. It is a driverless metro. "To date we transport about 45 thousand users a day and 30 thousand at weekends," Sala continues, "San Babila is the most used station. When fully operational, the M4 will transport 86 million passengers a year. It will be very important for the environment with a reduction of about 10 thousand tonnes of CO2 per year and about 5 million car journeys avoided". Meanwhile, consideration is being given to extending the blue line from Linate airport in the direction of Idroscalo (3.1 kilometres with 2 stops). The route would start from Linate, pass under the reservoir and end at Segrate station, the future Porta Est station for high-speed trains, as well as serving regional and suburban lines. In December 2023, the Milan city council approved the technical and economic feasibility plan: 44 million euro of extra costs will have to be found due to the increase in raw materials to be added to the 420 million euro already made available. The final project could arrive in the coming months. The inauguration should not take place before 2030.