The Neapolitan transport is preparing in recent weeks for one of the most important events of recent decades. Apart from the increase of the line 1 ticket, which from tomorrow will rise from 1.30 to 1.50 cents, is in fact the opening date of metro line 6, the infrastructure that will finally close the rail mobility ring between the western area of Partenope and the rest of the city. Inaugurated for the first time close to the World Cup in the 1990s, in the Bassinian era, line 6 will be activated «on July 1st»the general director of Anm explains to Il Mattino, Francesco Favo. However, there are some issues to be resolved regarding the entry into operation of the line: above all that which concerns the request for 8 million in funding for the management of the route, an issue on which the Municipality is awaiting a response from the Region. In any case, and it is no mystery, the Manfredi administration is playing a lot on the infrastructure game.
History
The history of line 6 it is long and full of pitfalls. It’s about Fuorigrotta was inaugurated in 1988, with another name: Ltr (Rapid tram line) in Piazza Italia, the same dispute today between regeneration and clan struggles over drug dealing which led, last month, to the injury of a woman in the children’s play area . After the inauguration, however, line 6 was immediately closed. After ten years, in 2001, an attempt was made to reactivate it, but without success. The third attempt to reopen, among 2011 and 2012, was another flop: the stations were closed due to the lack of users and consequent waste of personnel. There Line 6in fact, at the time did not connect Fuorigrotta with the rest of the city, contrary to what will happen today: the interchange with line 1 (the art metro) will take place between the Municipio and Santa Maria degli Angeli stations, stopped in Plebiscite area.
Path
In between, between 2012 and today, there was the famous collapse of Palazzo Guevara on March 4, 2013, due precisely to the construction works of the line 6 station of Arco Mirelli. Today, however, the worst is behind us and the route will cover from Fuorigrotta to the center, passing through Chiaia. The stations will be: Exhibition, Augusto, Lala and Mergellina, Arco Mirelli, San Pasquale and Chiaia, for a total route of 5.5 km. At Municipio, as mentioned, there will then be an interchange with line 1. The definitive workshop will be in the Campegna area, in via Arsenale. «The management of line 6 will cost between 8 and 9 million per year – argues Favo – The Santa Maria degli Angeli station, so to speak, is like a second Toledo. On the new route, there will be between 100 and 120 more employees for Anm by the end of the year. We are working hard to be able to inaugurate on July 1st, even possibly with limited service. Barring any problems, we will open on that date.”
The knots
An important effort, awaiting funding that Anm deems necessary: «We need around 10 million more than last year», adds Favo. At the moment, ANM receives 50 million per year from the Municipality and 68.4 from Palazzo Santa Lucia. Self Palazzo San Giacomo has increased the resources by 2 million, precisely by virtue of the inauguration of line 6, the Region has left the funding for the Neapolitan transport subsidiary unchanged for now. The increase in the ticket to 1.50 euros takes place in this scenario: «We are talking about an alignment with the other Neapolitan rail routes – adds Favo – Tickets for buses and funiculars remain at 1.30 cents”. On the horizon, there is then the ticket for the brand new lift Mount Echia. There are weeks of evaluations, both on the price of the coupon and on the management costs of the connecting system Santa Lucia in Pizzofalcone, in one of the most panoramic areas of the city. The lift will be free for local residents, but from June 1st everyone else will pay. We then work on setting up a bistro. «We will soon make public a questionnaire among users and we will try to evaluate the entry into force of the ticket – concludes the general director of Anm – I thank the Municipality, which has indicated to us the streets whose residents will be exempt from paying, in the Monte area of God, and left us ample margin on the lift. By June 1st it should become paid: we don’t want to make money, but we have to keep the services efficient.” The infrastructure issue, as mentioned, is among the most important of Manfred’s mandate. The next steps, in addition to line 6, are the opening of the metro stations (line 1) Management Center and Courts. According to the announcements, the metro will arrive at Capodichino airport by 2026.
