We believe it is necessary that in the Public Discussion procedure of the Preliminary Study of the quadrupling of the railway line, the 4th route alternative, i.e. the one alongside the historic line, should also be presented, with the same degree of in-depth analysis as the variant alternatives”.
This was underlined by the mayor of Imola, Marco Panieri and the councilor for urban planning, Michele Zanelliregarding the project to upgrade the Adriatic Directory with High Speed and High Capacity characteristics, of which the Bologna-Castel Bolognese section constitutes the first segment, with the quadrupling of the historic railway line.
This new alternative, the fourth in fact, would have the advantage of bringing the high-speed train to a position accessible from the Imola railway station and of reducing the landscape, environmental, functional and probably also social impact on the territory, as it would be configured as a real and upgrading on site and would not be perceived by local communities as further new infrastructure generating new impacts” adds the mayor.
The municipal administration is aware that there may be reasons especially linked to the optimization of the functioning of the infrastructure that have led to discarding this alternative, which involves (like the other alternative alternatives) considerable interference on the urban fabric and more generally on the territory .
However, for Mayor Panieri it is “necessary that this solution can also be examined in comparison with the other three, having the same design elements and that the cost/benefit ratio evaluates the entire range for all solutions”. In this regard, the invitation made by the mayor is to “evaluate the positive consequences for the intervention alongside the historic line both in terms of reduction in land consumption and the possible positioning of the Imola station with respect to the local context , to the Imola surrounding area and to the wider area in a future role as an interchange between the Metropolitan and High Speed Rail Networks”.
The value of the Adriatic Directorate strengthening project – The municipal administration recognizes that the project to upgrade the Adriatic route with high-speed and high-capacity characteristics can represent an intervention of great interest and strategic importance for the area concerned and will eventually have the effect of increasing the capacity of local public transport and rail freight traffic, thanks to the separation of flows between the existing line and the new HS/HC line. All this also in light of the important international events that take place at the “Enzo e Dino Ferrari” racetrack, which increasingly recall and promote the use of the railway as a means of access and departure from the city and of the impressive redevelopment of the area of the viale Andrea Costa station.
But in the procedure adopted by RFI, the necessary preliminary phase of discussing the project with local authorities was missing.
We were not involved in the preliminary phase of the project and this lack of involvement put us in a position to be informed after the fact, creating a justified alarm on the part of the citizens and the production activities involved. As regards the route alternatives presented so far, in the three meetings in which he participated, councilor Zanelli immediately highlighted the critical issues identified by the Municipality of Imola regarding the impact of the infrastructure on the territory. These are the same critical considerations that I reported in the letter sent to the Head of the public debate, also making the request to consider the fourth alternative, proposed by us” adds Mayor Panieri.
The 3 route alternatives identified so far – We would like to remind you that at present three route alternatives have been identified, each of which has been subjected to feasibility testing and cost-benefit analysis, from which a different cost-benefit ratio emerges regarding the impact on the territories crossed.
Alternative 1 is that of the railway line that runs alongside the A14 motorway.
Compared to the 3 alternatives proposed during the public debate and on the basis of the preliminary assessments that can be carried out at this stage by the municipal administration, this alternative would appear to be the most reasonable from the point of view of lower land consumption, if it could somehow be combined with the construction of the fourth lane of the Bologna-Ravenna section. But since the construction times do not overlap, it remains a very impactful solution as it has to be built on a viaduct with heights of around 18 m to climb over the motorway overpasses” make known the mayor Panieri and the councilor Zanelli from what emerged from the public debate.
Alternative 2, with a route south of the A14, which crosses the Imola area at Via Molino Rosso
“in our opinion it is impracticable and impracticable and we are strongly against it as it creates a physical barrier that completely cuts off the industrial area and the towns of San Prospero, Chiesistenza and Casola Canina, creating problems for the homes and businesses located there and causing considerable interference, expropriations and demolitions” explains the mayor.
The Municipality also rejects alternative 3.
With a route that departs radically to the north of the A14, alternative 3 is located in a substantially rural area, characterized by the agricultural ecosystem of the plain and by centuriation, with a notable impact on environmental and landscape aspects, involving agricultural activities, with a negative balance in terms of land consumption and as such is even more problematic than the previous alternative” concludes the mayor.
The Municipality indicates 2 fixed points to be respected – For the Municipality there are two fixed points to respect. On the one hand, it is essential to preserve the integrity of the territory and, on the other, to maximize the potential positive effects deriving from the creation of a strategic infrastructure such as that of the quadrupling, which for Panieri “must not act as a barrier/caesus that cuts and crosses the territory but will have to trigger the most positive synergies with it”.
For this reason, mayor Panieri and councilor Zanelli believe “not only very appropriate, but absolutely essential, the involvement of local institutions as well as all competent and interested parties, such as for example the Business Roundtable, already met with councilors Raffini and Zanelli, the trade associations, in the Public Discussion from the very early stages and before the letter that the mayor sent to the person in charge of the public debate of the work. This involvement would certainly have been more effective if it had taken place in the previous phase of choosing the corridors to give the administrations, who have precise knowledge of the territories, the opportunity to immediately be able to express their point of view and their priorities”.
For this reason, Mayor Panieri said he was fully available, regarding the person in charge of public debate, for a technical meeting to explore these aspects.
We have asked to hold the planned in-depth institutional technical meeting in Imola, which will be open to the public. On that occasion, the first thing we will point out is the lack of initial involvement towards the Municipality. And we will do everything to ensure that there is maximum information and involvement of citizens on this issue.”
The public meeting will take place on Wednesday 12 June, at 10 am, in the city council room, in the town hall.
