Trams will stop running in Rome by mid-June. The start of the restyling works on the Porta Maggiore depot is now imminent. A construction site which, as also stated by the Rome transport councilor, Eugenio Patanè, during a recent hearing in the mobility commission, should start by the end of June. Work which will involve – as announced some time ago – a stop to rail racing, even before the actual start of operations in the depot, at least until mid-October. In this period, therefore, the trams will be replaced by buses but, to date, there is still no precise plan on how the service will be carried out.
The alarm
This is why there is a lot of concern among workers. A sentiment echoed by the USB union, also concerned about the chronic shortage of Atac staff. “To date we still have nothing definitive – explains trade unionist Michele Frullo to RomaToday – we have had verbal information from the company but nothing has yet been put in black and white”. In the summer period “there will be a reduction in service with the closure of schools, so some vehicles will be used for the replacement service” says Frullo again. What will the tram drivers do, though? “They will be put to drive the buses”, says Frullo who however underlines once again that “we have not yet entered into the discussion of the details on this too”.
Worry
The union is worried because “we are suffering with the staff and the vehicles that must arrive from our suppliers”. At the driver level, “we continue to have problems with generational turnover, many colleagues are retiring”. And not even the new hires will be enough: “Now we are entering the testing phase for those who applied for the latest Atac competition. Knowing the timing, we hope that the new drivers will be able to enter into service by June but I think it is more likely that we will not see the new hires on board the Atac vehicles before the end of July”.
Replacement buses
How many buses, therefore, will be needed to deal with the stoppage of vehicles? The union is also unable to answer this question, at least for the moment. In fact, it depends on the number of trams used on each line and on its length. In general, explains Frullo, “to replace a 30-metre tram that doesn’t run, three 12-metre buses are needed”. For line 8, during periods of inactivity, 12 buses were used, double the number of trams usually in service. Numbers that rise, for example, for the metro: for a metropolitan train 12 rubber vehicles are needed. It is obvious that the summer period will help given the reduction in users. The real problems will arise between September and October, when the schools reopen and the Romans return from holidays.
Plan
From what RomaToday learns, Atac technicians are close to defining the plan. Within two weeks the tram replacement programme, which is said to be almost 100% ready, will be officially presented. However, the final adjustments are missing and would depend on various factors, not least those relating to the timing of the works on the Porta Maggiore depot.
The new Porta Maggiore depot
The tender for the restyling of the Porta Maggiore depot, called to accommodate the new trams that will arrive in Rome, was announced in December last year and was divided into three lots, for a total amount of 9 million and 529 thousand euros. Only the first lot, financed with Jubilee funds, includes the construction of 12 tram interchanges of radius 50, 47 interchanges of radius 25, 12 intersections and 59 mechanical switching stations, for a total amount of 7 million and 552 thousand euros. The Porta Maggiore al Prenestino depot will therefore be renovated to accommodate the trams of the new Termini-Vatican-Aurelio line, in addition to those of the existing lines, 5, 14 and 19.
