The Cagliari light rail system, commercially known as Metrocagliari, is a two-line light rail system that serves the town of Cagliari and part of its metropolitan area, in Sardinia, Italy. The system was inaugurated in 2008[1] and has subsequently been expanded to two lines.
| Metrocagliari | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 A Škoda 06 T tram at Monserrato-San Gottardo station | |||
| Overview | |||
| Locale | Cagliari, Italy | ||
| Transit type | light rail | ||
| Number of lines | 2 | ||
| Number of stations | 13 | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 17 March 2008[1][2] | ||
| Operator(s) | ARST | ||
| Number of vehicles | 9 Škoda 06 T, 3 CAF Urbos | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 12 km | ||
| Track gauge | 950 mm (3 ft 1+3⁄8 in) | ||
| Electrification | 750 V DC[2] | ||
| |||
History
editThe Cagliari light rail system was created through a rebuilding, electrification, and modernization of an urban-suburban section of a previously existing 950 mm (3 ft 1+3⁄8 in) gauge railway line operating out of Cagliari, owned by Ferrovie della Sardegna.[3] The first stage involved rebuilding, as a light rail line, the 6.8-kilometre (4.2 mi) section between that line's Cagliari terminal station, at Piazza Repubblica, and Monserrato. The work included adding stations, installing overhead lines, and adding passing tracks in some locations along the single-track line. Once the construction was completed and the vehicles ready for use, a much greater frequency of service than existed previously on the line would be introduced, using the new trams and stops.
Construction began in June 2004 and was substantially completed in May 2007.[2] A fleet of six Škoda 06 T trams was purchased,[3] and they were delivered in 2007.
Service was inaugurated on 17 March 2008[1] on the initial route of 6.8 km (4.2 mi) between Piazza Repubblica, in Cagliari, and San Gottardo station, in Monserrato.[3] The route had nine stations at that stage. An extension from Monserrato to Policlinico was already under construction at that time, but that project was not yet fully funded.[3]
On 14 February 2015, line 1 was extended from San Gottardo to Policlinico[4] (University Hospital),[5] adding two stations and increasing the total number of stations to eleven.
The next extension opened less than two months later, and was another upgrading and electrification of an existing section of diesel railway line, from San Gottardo to Settimo San Pietro. Light rail service on that section began operation on 3 April 2015 and is designated as line 2.[6]
Planned extension of the line into central Cagliari, from Piazza Repubblica to Piazza Matteotti and the Cagliari railway station of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, is in the final design stages and it is projected that the work may begin in 2017. This extension is very significant, because it will connect the tramway with the transportation hub of the city, home to the train and suburban buses station, and hub for local bus services.
Fleet
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The initial fleet consisted of six Škoda 06 T trams,[3] delivered in 2007. Three additional cars of the same type were acquired later.[7][8]
A contract for the purchase of three more trams was awarded in 2013 to Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF), for a five-section, 32.9-metre-long Urbos 2 model.[9] The CAF cars were delivered in November 2016, but delays were encountered in obtaining authorisation to place them in service. The three CAF Urbos trams finally entered service on 21 April 2018.[10]
Former tram system
editCagliari had a tram system from 1893 to 1973. At its maximum extent it had six lines.
Gallery
edit-
Exterior of the Cagliari terminus, the FdS station at Piazza Repubblica -
The system's maintenance facility, adjacent to the Monserrato-Gottardo station -
Policlinico station at night -
"Policlinico" tram station construction site, October 2013 -
Cagliari tram map 1893-1973 -
Cagliari, via Roma 1930- 1940 (north view) -
Via Manno, Cagliari -
Cagliari - Tram to Poetto beach
.jpg)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Worldwide Review [regular news section]". Tramways & Urban Transit. Vol. 71, no. 845. LRTA Publishing. May 2008. p. 193. ISSN 1460-8324.
- ^ a b c "Progetto definitivo - Metropolitana leggera di Cagliari Linea 2" [Final design – Cagliari light metro Line 2] (PDF) (in Italian). ARST Gestione FdS. November 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Another new tramway in Sardinia". Tramways & Urban Transit. Vol. 71, no. 844. LRTA Publishing. April 2008. p. 153. ISSN 1460-8324.
- ^ "Metropolitana, oggi inaugurata la tratta San Gottardo-Policlinico" [Metro: Inaugurated today the section San Gottardo–Policlinico]. L'Unione Sarda (in Italian). 14 February 2015. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
- ^ Chiandoni, Marco (19 February 2015). "Cagliari opens light rail extension". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
- ^ "Metrocagliari: inaugurazione Linea 2 - Tratta San Gottardo Settimo San Pietro" [Metrocagliari: Line 2 inauguration – San Gottardo to Settimo San Pietro section] (in Italian). ARST. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
- ^ "Cagliari, Škoda 06T Elektra — Roster". transphoto.org. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ^ "Škoda - 06T". www.strassenbahn-online.de. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
- ^ "Worldwide Review [regular news section]". Tramways & Urban Transit. Vol. 76, no. 909. LRTA Publishing. September 2013. p. 398.
- ^ "Worldwide Review [regular news section]". Tramways & Urban Transit. Vol. 81, no. 966. Mainspring/LRTA. June 2018. p. 230.
Further reading
edit- Lai, Rossano (2005). "Metrotranvia a Cagliari". I Treni (273): 21–25.
- "Una rete di metrotranvia per l'Area Vasta di Cagliari" (PDF). Regione Autonoma della Sardegna.
- "Accordo di programma per la metropolitana dell'Area vasta di Cagliari" (PDF). Regione Autonoma della Sardegna.
External links
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Media related to Cagliari light rail at Wikimedia Commons- Metrocagliari webpage of ARST
