APCOM

The Railway link is the "backbone" of a city that becomes "the central junction of a big European platform." Milano's mayor Letizia Moratti described with enthusiasm the completing of the south-east branch of the line that goes through the Lombard capital from West to East. The novelty is the 3.5-kilometre section which takes from Porta Vittoria to the redeveloped station of Rogoredo. The overall connection now boasts a 19-kilometre coverage. The 160 million euro investment assured the course's starting up and the redevelopment of the former goods yard, which has been equipped with new technologies and infrastructures in order to act as an interchange of long-distance and regional lines.

In addition to Letizia Moratti, the maiden voyage involved the president of the Regione Lombardia Roberto Formigoni, the minister of Transport Altero Matteoli, the president of the Ferrovie dello Stato Innocenzo Cipolletta and the managing director Mauro Moretti.

"This is a very significant project for Milano, "underlined the mayor. "It opens the city's southern door to other cities: it is going to be easier to enter from Pavia, Cremona and Mantova. Besides, all the commuters coming from the north will be able to reach the southern part of the metropolis without stopping in the centre." The attention paid to local mobility reflects an opening to the outer world in general. "Milano is due to become the central junction of a big European platform" concluded Moratti.

The President of the Regione Lombardia, Roberto Formigoni, said that the Railway link is "an important although not definitive answer to the needs of traffic in the Milanese area." According to the governor, as for public transport the latter suffers from "a real national emergency" caused by "a very high housing density which doesn't find an adequate correspondence in the transport network." While referring to the Railway's works, which started in 1982, the minister Matteoli pointed out the need to "speed the procedures for infrastructural works up" in order to be "competitive at an international level."