Milan's M4 metro line was inaugurated on Saturday, November 26. The line "Blue" from Milan will make the connection from Linate Airport to Piazzale Dateo, in the eastern area of the Milan metropolis. The two-station Dateo – San Babila section is likely to be inaugurated in spring 2023, while the opening of the entire line to San Cristoforo is planned for 2024.
The M4 metro line opens in Milan
The M4 metro line, the fifth line of Milan's metro network, is an important east-west diametrical connecting the densely populated south-west area of the city with the city center and Linate Airport. From 2023, it will be possible to reach the center of Milan in 15 minutes from Linate.
The line, which can be considered a "lightly automated metro", actually uses the construction and operation technology of Line 5 (the "purple" line) in operation since 2015. The latter was the first line without a driver on board, as is already the case for Line 1 of the Turin metro, Line C in Rome and some RATP lines in Paris.
The stations will be similar in type and size to those on Line 5. The platforms will be 50 meters long, allowing a four-piece train to stop, and are similarly equipped with automatically opening platform doors at the train doors . Capacity is expected to be around 25-28.000 passengers per hour each way, with trains running every 90 seconds (reducible to 75).
The M4 metro line will have six stations
The M4 metro line, which was inaugurated on December 26, will have 6 active stations: Linate, Repetti, Forlanini FS, Argonne, Susa, Dateo. Passengers will be able to change trains at the Forlanini station. At Susa cse station you can connect with trolleybus 90/91. At Dateo station you can connect with trolleybus line 92, as well as with other bus lines.
All stations are equipped with escalators and elevators. The frequency of trains will be from 3-5 minutes, and in the first period, metro trains will run between 6:00 a.m. and 21:00 p.m.
The entire line will have a length of 15 km and 21 stations, and extensions are already planned, the first from Linate to Segrate, to be activated by 2026. When the entire line is fully operational, transport will be provided by a fleet consisting of 47 gaskets, built by Hitachi Italia. These are similar to the 21 sets already in operation on Line 5 in Milan (with some differences in internal appearance) and to the trains of the Brescia and Copenhagen metros.
The sets, articulated with four aluminum carriages, have two doors on each side of the carriage, are 51 meters long and can accommodate up to 600 passengers, 40 of whom are seated.
With the opening of line 4, Milan's metro network will extend to 116 km with 138 stations.