- The first project for Milan’s metro dates back to 1942; the first line was inaugurated in 1964
- The infrastructure consists of five lines running for over 100 kilometers
- Some lines have been modernized and extended over the years
- The latest addition is the M4, which connects Linate airport to San Babila in just 12 minutes
- The companies that have merged into the Webuild Group participated in the construction of all five lines of the network
The Milan metro lines are the result of an urban vision rooted in centuries past. A surprising example comes from Leonardo da Vinci, who, towards the end of the 1400s, dedicated himself to studying an urban development and revitalization plan for Milan, then ravaged by the plague, which had halved its population. The Italian genius developed a project that proposed moving homes, shops, and pedestrian streets onto elevated platforms, leaving the ground level for commercial roads designated for carriages and goods transport. According to some academic sources, Leonardo’s idea already hinted at the concept of metro lines, strategic routes free from the constraints of the city.
In Milan, it would take another six hundred years before the construction of a metro line became a reality. The first project dates back to the early 1900s and bears the signature of engineer Sarre Borioli. His idea was to build a 57-kilometer wall along which a railway line would run, accompanied by the construction of an underground metro network consisting of eight radial lines. Borioli’s project was shelved by the fascist regime and forgotten, but the possibility of equipping the Lombard city with its first metro network was not.
Milan Metro, the birth of the M1 line
The dream of building a metro network to speed up transport in Milan did not even stop during World War II. The second attempt to create such a project dates back to those years, particularly to 1942, when a plan was drawn up for the construction of a first line that would connect the municipality of Sesto San Giovanni, north of Milan, with Trivulzio, to the southwest. From that moment, projects for a second and third line were developed, giving birth to the first Milan metro network.
The key year in the history of this infrastructure is 1964, when the city’s first metro line was inaugurated, with 38 stations and a length of 26.7 kilometers. The M1, which today runs from Sesto 1° Maggio FS station to Rho Fieramilano/Bisceglie, has undergone numerous extensions over the years, the most recent of which was completed in 2005. Today, the line transports an average of over 400,000 passengers daily and serves as a strategic artery for city mobility.
After the M1, 4 New Milan Metro Lines Are Born
On September 27, 1969, just a few years after the M1 was inaugurated, the first section of the M2 came into service, later expanded over the years until 2011, when it reached a length of 39.9 kilometers, connecting Cologno Nord with Assago Forum.
The M3 was built for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. This line, too, has been expanded over the years and today is capable of transporting an average of 281,000 passengers daily. In 2015, the M5 line, designed to reach the San Siro stadium from Bignami station, covering a distance of 12.9 kilometers, was completed. Every day, 100,000 people travel on this line, the first that does not cross the city center and runs entirely underground. The latest addition is the new M4, the blue line, which will soon be inaugurated and represents yet another infrastructural development for Milan.
Webuild at the service of the Milan Metro
Webuild has put its signature on all the lines of Milan’s Metro network, including the M4, which was developed with the participation of companies that have since merged into the Group.
The M4 blue line has a profound impact on Milan’s mobility because it connects the city from east to west: from Linate airport to San Babila in 12 minutes, continuing its journey to the opposite terminus of San Cristoforo. In total, it is 15 kilometers long and served by 21 stations. Once fully operational, it will transport until 24,000 people per hour in each direction, for a total expected of 86 million passengers per year.
The M4, with its characteristics and impact on city mobility, responds to Milan’s constant demand for growth, making the metro an essential and strategic infrastructure for the lives of its citizens. Today, Milan’s metro is the seventh-largest network in the European Union by length, stretching over 100 kilometers and transporting an average of 420 million passengers annually.
