MILAN, June 26, 2019 – A new milestone has been reached on the M4, the metro line being built in Milan by a consortium led to Salini Impregilo. The arrival of the first tunnel-boring machine (TBM) at the future site of Solari Station marks the end of the excavation work and laying of precast concrete segments in one of two parallel tunnels on the western end of the line.

The TBM, which will be dismantled in the coming weeks, began its journey on June 15 from Foppa Station and took 10 days to excavate 294 metres towards Solari Station for a daily average of 29 metres a day.

It will bring to 118 kilometres the entire size of the network, making it the sixth largest in Europe. Its contribution to sustainable mobility based on Italian expertise is an example of what Salini Impreglio intends to do by means of Progetto Italia (Project Italy). The industrial operation to consolidate the country’s infrastructure promises to protect jobs and give a 0.3% boost to the gross domestic product.

The M4 will be the metro line that offers the fastest connection between an airport and a city centre in the world at a mere 12 minutes. It is set to open in 2021 with the first section between the Linate city airport and Forlanini FS station. It will then operate as far as San Babila by December 2022. The M4 will be able to transport 86 million people a year and contribute to removing some 16 million cars from the streets a year, consequently reducing CO2 emissions by 54,000 tonnes a year.

The second TBM is ready to follow suit. It will begin the second parallel tunnel from Foppa Station once maintenance work has been done.