Brescia breaks ground on light rail line

Construction of the 11.3km line is expected to be completed by 2031.

The ceremony was attended by Brescia mayor Laura Castelletti, deputy mayor and councillor for transport, Federico Manzoni, regional councillor for transport, Franco Lucente, former mayor and current vice-president of the Regional Council, Emilio Del Bono, and president of Brescia Mobilità, Alessandro Marini.

Photo Credit: Facebook/Commune di Brescia

A groundbreaking ceremony was held in the Italian city of Brescia on July 6 to mark start of construction of the 11.3km light rail line T2.

The new line will connect Pendolina in the northwest of the city to Fiera in the southwest. It will have 22 stops and interchange with the automated metro line at San Faustino along with the Italian State Railways (FS) main line station. The depot will be located at Fiera with a secondary facility located at Pendolina.

The Temporary Grouping of Companies (RTI) led by Manelli Impresa with Hitachi Rail and Alstom was awarded the contract to build and equip the line in June 2025.

8.1km of the route will be built on a dedicated right of way with the remainder in mixed traffic. Power to the 18 LRVs, which Hitachi Rail is supplying, will be provided using conventional overhead contact wire on an 8.2km section of the line. The LRVs will use battery power when operating on the remaining 3.1km to minimise visual impact in urban areas.

The €426m project is expected to take four-and-a-half years to complete. The project is majority funded by the Italian government with a €3.7m contribution from the Municipality of Brescia.

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