Florence: the Vacs line opens to traffic
On January 25, in Florence, the new tram line Variante Alternativa Centro Storico, known as Vacs, was inaugurated in the presence of Florence’s Mayor, Sara Funaro.
This milestone follows a pre-operational phase with track tests during which the entire fleet of vehicles was run without passengers on board.
CMB has been involved in the development of Florence’s tram system since 2004 under a concession from the City of Florence, which entails the design, construction, and management of a series of lines.
This is carried out in collaboration with Alstom, which handles the production of the rolling stock and signaling systems; Hitachi, which is responsible for the construction and commissioning of the trains; as well as Mermec and Com.net.
CMB, in addition to providing technical management and coordinating the consortium, designed and constructed all the infrastructure, including the tram depot, stops, the electrical substation, and art installations. It also organized the relocation of interfering utility services and the modification of adjacent road networks in all areas affected by the urban redevelopment, both for the line now in service and for the works of the new Line 3.2.1 that interfere with the VACS project.
During the inauguration, which was also attended by Dario Nardella, Sara Funaro, the Mayor of Florence, congratulated those responsible for the achievement, thanking CMB and the companies in the consortium that made this significant result possible. “If, so far with the lines in operation, we have estimated 30,000 fewer cars on the road,” Funaro continued, “with this line we estimate an additional reduction of 9,000 vehicles, along with an increase in green spaces and tree planting.” With this opening, Florence not only gains a new, more convenient and efficient transportation system, but it also helps reduce the pollution caused by private cars.
