MILAN, February 11, 2020 – Members of the Salini Impregilo board visited the construction site of Milan’s M4 metro line at the Linate city airport and took a trial run to the Forlanini FS train station, the first stop on the eastern end of the line that is to come into service in 2021.

The M4, which will connect the airport with the historic centre in a mere 12 minutes, is one of the most important sustainable mobility projects in Europe. Commissioned by the city, it is being developed by M4 SpA. With the city and a group of private investors led by Salini Impregilo, it is the concessionaire in charge of the construction and operation of the line.

“The new Group being created by Progetto Italia will be a player with an Italian soul. It will be stronger on international markets and more focused on sustainable mobility, clean energy, clean water and green buildings,” said Pietro Salini, Chief Executive of the Salini Impregilo Group. “The Milan metro line is a clear example of our vision to focus on sustainable mobility, as well as our desire to kick-start projects that are stalled in Italy. On this construction site, where we are also working with Astaldi, we have been able - alongside the client - to respect the programme of this complex project. Some 1,500 people are working to give Milan a new line that will connect the airport, the centre and the periphery. Today, the M4 is one of the most iconic projects of the country because it is one of the few projects that, with our commitment, is going ahead in Italy. We are working closely with the client to find the best solutions to challenges that are often faced in complex projects such as this one. We also look to apply more stringent rules in terms of safety. We are helping Milan become a greener city with 16 million fewer journeys by car every year and a drop in CO2 emissions of 54,000 tonnes every year.”

The M4 will be 15 kilometres long and have 21 stations. It will cross the historic centre to connect the airport to the east with the periphery to the southwest at San Cristoforo FS train station. It will be connected to the existing network of rail and metro lines to make transport more sustainable across Milan.

The M4, which will serve 86 million passengers a year, will be a light automated rail line, a system with the characteristics of a regular metro but with more efficient and sustainable features. The driverless system will have technology to allow for the smart management of the frequency of trains serving the stations to guarantee passengers a higher standard of safety.

The M4, which will bring to 118 kilometres the total length of the Milan metro system to make it sixth in Europe by extension, is an example of Salini Impregilo’s leadership in the sector. It is one of 10 metro and light rail projects in which the Group is helping build throughout the world to improve sustainable mobility for a combined total of 3.6 million people a day. Projects include the Red Line North Underground in Doha, one of the biggest in the Middle East; the Hurontario Light Rail Transit in Canada; and the Forrestfield-Airport Link in Perth, Australia.