Turin Metro
Encyclopedia
The Metropolitana di Torino (Turin Metro) is a VAL metro
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

 system connecting Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

 city centre, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, with the neighbouring city of Collegno
Collegno
Collegno is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 9 km west of Turin.-Twin towns — Sister cities:Collegno is twinned with the following cities:-External links:*...

. It is operated by Gruppo Torinese Trasporti
Gruppo Torinese Trasporti
The Gruppo Torinese Trasporti is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the provinces of Turin, Alessandria, Cuneo and Asti...

 (GTT), a public company controlled by the municipality of Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

. At present, the system comprises one line with 21 stations which connects Fermi station in Collegno with the Lingotto
Lingotto
Lingotto is a district of Turin, Italy, that named the Lingotto building in Via Nizza, which once was a huge automobile factory, constructed by Fiat. Built from 1916 and opened in 1923, the design was unusual in that it had five floors, with raw materials going in at the ground floor, and cars...

 multifunctional centre in Turin.

First part of the line was opened on 4 February 2006 before the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...

; the second section connecting Porta Susa railway station to Porta Nuova
Torino Porta Nuova railway station
Torino Porta Nuova station is currently the main railway station of Turin. It is the third busiest station in Italy for passenger flow after Rome Termini and Milan Central, with about 192,000 journeys per day and 70 million travellers a year and a total of about 350 trains per day. It is...

 opened on 5 October 2007, and the last part, between Porta Nuova
Torino Porta Nuova railway station
Torino Porta Nuova station is currently the main railway station of Turin. It is the third busiest station in Italy for passenger flow after Rome Termini and Milan Central, with about 192,000 journeys per day and 70 million travellers a year and a total of about 350 trains per day. It is...

 and Lingotto
Lingotto
Lingotto is a district of Turin, Italy, that named the Lingotto building in Via Nizza, which once was a huge automobile factory, constructed by Fiat. Built from 1916 and opened in 1923, the design was unusual in that it had five floors, with raw materials going in at the ground floor, and cars...

 opened on 6 March 2011.

History

The history of metro in Turin begins in 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...

, when the first project of an underground railway was put forward. However, only a part of the first underground tunnel was built, and the actual project was put aside. Nowadays, the tunnel is part of an underground parking system.

A new company committed to the development of a metro system in Turin was founded in 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...

. Several projects and feasibility studies were made for a 7 km underground line under the city centre and then for a line connecting FIAT
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...

 factories to surrounding neighborhoods, but eventually all the proposals were rejected.

In the mid-80s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...

 a new proposal for a system of 5 fast tram
Fast tram
Fast tram is a type of LRT, which is a tram system with high velocities. The Belgian Premetro and German Stadtbahn are two of types of fast trams....

 lines at-grade was approved. However, only the planned line 3 was built following the original project, while the others eventually were built either as regular tram lines, with no dedicated lane, or as bus lines.

A new project was approved in 1995 for a line running from Campo Volo on the west border of the city to Porta Nuova, the main railway station in Turin. The project was put in hold due to lack of funds.

The project for the underground line was resumed in April 1999 with a longer route to Lingotto
Lingotto
Lingotto is a district of Turin, Italy, that named the Lingotto building in Via Nizza, which once was a huge automobile factory, constructed by Fiat. Built from 1916 and opened in 1923, the design was unusual in that it had five floors, with raw materials going in at the ground floor, and cars...

 based on the VAL system. Works on the line began on 19 December 2000, part of the works for the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...

. The first section from Fermi to XVIII Dicembre was opened on 4 February 2006, while the second section on the south to Porta Nuova opened on 5 October 2007. Porta Susa station opened later on 9 September 2011.

The last part of the line on the south to Lingotto was inaugurated on 6 March 2011.

Ticketing

The single journey ticket costs 1€ and is valid also outside of the metro for unlimited trips on other public transport in the city for 70 minutes.

Moreover, any form of urban transport season ticket is valid also for the metro system.

Timetable

Turin metro starts operations at 5:30 from monday to saturday (at 7:00 on sundays) and closes at 23:50. There is a service extension in weekends, when the metro closes at 1:30.

Future plans

Line 1

Two additional stations are planned to reach the Southern boundary of the city, under Piazza Bengasi. Construction of this southern extension will not be completed until 2013.

A further Western extension is planned to reach the boundaries of Collegno and reach Cascine Vica district in the city of Rivoli
Rivoli (Italy)
Rivoli , is a comune established around the 1st century CE, in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 14 km west of Turin...

. The plan comprises four additional stations, included Collegno FS which will interchange with the central railway station of the city of Collegno.

Line 2

A second line is currently under planning. The line will connect South-Western suburbs of the city (Orbassano
Orbassano
Orbassano is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 15 km southwest of Turin. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 21,667 and an area of 22.1 km²....

 and Beinasco
Beinasco
Beinasco is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 11 km southwest of Turin.-Twin towns - sister cities:Beinasco is twinned with: Piatra Neamţ, Romania Manilva, Spain-External links:*...

) with northern district of Barriera di Milano. First 26 stations are already defined, starting from Mirafiori Sud district to Barriera di Milano, crossing the Line 1 at Re Umberto station and serving key points as Politecnico di Torino University and Piazza Castello, one of the major central squares of the city.

Part of the Southern track will be elevated to reduce building costs (starting from Piazza Cattaneo to Cimitero Sud. On Northern side, from Vanchiglia to Rebaudengo, it will follow an old (currently abandoned) railway track, which was used to connect the old and abandoned scalo Vanchiglia to the main Turin railway.

A 4 stations extension is planned to cover suburbs of Beinasco
Beinasco
Beinasco is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 11 km southwest of Turin.-Twin towns - sister cities:Beinasco is twinned with: Piatra Neamţ, Romania Manilva, Spain-External links:*...

 and Orbassano
Orbassano
Orbassano is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 15 km southwest of Turin. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 21,667 and an area of 22.1 km²....

 and to reach terminus Pasta di Rivalta in the city of Rivalta di Torino
Rivalta di Torino
Rivalta di Torino is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 14 km southwest of Turin in the valley of the Sangone.It is home to a medieval castle.-External links:*...

.

External links

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