The two-month delay of the tramway construction sites for the historic center variant will not be recovered and the councilor for mobility and major works Stefano Giorgetti confirms that the goal is to start the Vas service before the start of the school year. Therefore in September and not in June as expected, while on Sunday 26 May the tram will travel from the Fortezza to Piazza San Marco, passing through Piazza della Libertà.
Giorgetti he spoke, like every Monday morning, to Controradio, a Florentine broadcaster directed by Chiara Brilli, and after recalling that the construction sites of the tramway in Piazza della Libertà during this week will be used to have the definitive layout of the road network with cars returning to normal road lanes, took stock of the launch of Vacs.
«We wanted the construction to be completed in June, as per the contract, but it wasn’t possible the tramway will not come into operation within this council, but in September, before the start of the school year – explained the councilor who has been following tram line projects and construction sites for ten years – E on May 26th there will be the first trip, as already announced, of the Sirio to Piazza San Marco, perhaps starting from the same square, and we will stop at the stop in Viale Lavagnini, before the Fortress which will also be named after Giuseppe Matulli, as announced by the mayor Dario Nardella”.
The construction sites in via Lamarmora will only close in August and in the meantime the works on viale Lavagnini and via Cavour will be closed and the testing procedures will continue, with the authorization to operate the line to be given by the ministry. As well as the reorganization of public road transport. «Some AT lines will continue to arrive in Piazza San Marco even after September – Giorgetti clarified – Only with the launch of the line to Banno a Ripoli in 2026 will there no longer be bus lines in the square.”
And also Tram spa, which is building the line, confirms both the August date and the “arm wrestling” with the Municipality over the construction sites. «We had asked for an extension until August 31st, but the Municipality told us no – explains the president of Tram spa, Fabrizio Bartaloni – Some delays on a construction site like this are physiological, carrying out work on streets like Viale Lavagnini is not easy , then there are the movements of the underground services, the archaeological surveys, and in the first days of August we will finish everything”.
In the meantime, much has been done on the other construction sites, with an average of 70 people a day at work, and the dispute with the administration over costs remains. «The increase in the cost of materials has cost 13 million and there is a dispute with the Municipality to see these costs recognized and I believe that we will go to arbitration – underlines Bartaloni – We think we are entitled to these extra costs, recognized moreover on the line for Bagno a Ripoli, where we had 71 million euros for the cost of materials.”
