A Tram-Train Service on an Existing Rail Line in Varese, Italy

Varese is a city of 80000 inhabitants at the north of the Region of Lombardy, Italy, near the boundary with Switzerland. The urban area of Varese is crossed by two rail lines which do not connect one with the other. One line, operated by RFI, runs in north-south direction, the other, operated by FNM, runs roughly in east-west direction. These two lines impose a tough severance on the urban area, and offer a passenger service tailored on long distance commuting, mainly with the city of Milan. The service in Varese operates from three urban stations. One on the RFI line and two on the FNM line; the RFI station being only 250 m away from the one of the two FNM stations. A spontaneous committee assigned to MIC the task of assessing the feasibility of converting these two rail lines to operate a tram-train service, inspired by similar experiences in several German and Swiss towns, as well as elsewhere. A tram-train service in an urban area should include several stations, or stops, along the line, and should operate with trains that run at short intervals, providing a much needed coverage of the built area with a public transport system of high performance and reliability. This type of service can be provided in three different ways: by running railway-type rolling stock, compliant with railway operation rules and adopting the controlled guidance mandatory for railway operation (urban rail); by operating tram vehicles guided by the conductor by sight, compliant with tram operation and with the code of the road (metro-tramway), and finally, by operating railway and tram-type rolling stock together on the same infrastructure, setting up adequate rules of circulation to ensure that the appropriate safety levels are met despite the presence on the same line of very different rolling stock and guidance methods (tram-train). MIC studied the legal framework in force in Italy and the infrastructure, guidance and rolling stock requirements necessary to implement one of the three options above, in order to choose the most adequate service for each of the two railway lines that cross Varese. The study led to choosing a metro-tramway service for the FNM line, and an urban rail type service for the RFI line. The option of running tram and railway type rolling stock on the same line has been discarded since the law in force in Italy does not contemplate this type of operation. This paper discusses the infrastructure upgrades proposed, needed to operate metro-tramway and urban rail services on the two lines, the type of service and rolling stock needed, the type of guidance to be adopted, the legal framework of reference, the performance parameters of the service, as well as the effects on accessibility in the urban area of Varese: territorial coverage by the catchment areas of the stations, connection with road public transport lines, connection with relevant attractors such as the University Campus and the city hospital, and the effects on modal share. This experience in Varese can be considered of great interest in the Italian as well as international panorama, since there are several cities in Italy that are crossed by railway lines, but very few have attempted at converting them so that they can provide a service from which users travelling between local urban connections can benefit. The result of this experience can also stimulate the production and approval of a specific normative for tram-train operation in Italy, which is now lacking. Although the Ministry of Transport, along with several stakeholders, drafted the guidelines for such type of operation in 2013, these have never been transformed into legal or technical requirements.

• Record URL:
  • https://aetransport.org/past-etc-papers/conference-papers-2020
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract used by permission of Association for European Transport.
• Corporate Authors:

  Association for European Transport (AET)

  1 Vernon Mews, Vernon Street, West Kensington
  London W14 0RL,    
• Authors:
  • Guala, Luca
  • Sciacchitano, Loris
  • Arioli, Giovanni
• Conference:
  • European Transport Conference 2020
  • Date: 2020-9-9 to 2020-9-11
• Publication Date: 2020

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Bibliography; Figures; Photos;
• Pagination: 13p
• Monograph Title: European Transport Conference 2020

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Infrastructure; Legal factors; Modernization; Performance; Rail transit stations; Railroad rails; Railroad vehicle operations; Rolling stock; Trolley cars; Urban transit
• Geographic Terms: Italy
• Subject Areas: Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Railroads; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01765997
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 25 2021 10:12AM