T2 Bergamo–Villa d'Almè: Towards Completion

Priority PNRR works on the Valle Brembana line completed

Final finishing activities are underway on the construction site of the new T2 Bergamo–Villa d'Almè light rail line. Following the completion of the main infrastructure works on 30 June, fully in compliance with the deadlines set by Italy's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), the project has now entered its final phase as required by ministerial provisions: a 60-day period dedicated to completing the remaining works, carrying out technical testing and pre-revenue service trials ahead of the line entering operation by the end of the year.

Built on behalf of TEB - Tramvie Elettriche Bergamasche by the consortium comprising Milesi Sergio, GCF - Generale Costruzioni Ferroviarie and Škoda, the T2 project represents one of the most significant sustainable mobility investments completed in Lombardy in recent years.

"With the completion of the main works," commented Giuseppe Brecciaroli, Executive Director of GCF, "a particularly demanding phase of the project comes to an end. The cooperation among all the companies within the consortium and with the Client has enabled us to meet every milestone established under the PNRR, delivering an infrastructure that sets a new benchmark for public transport in the Bergamo area."

T2: Technical and design features

La "Y" presso la fermata Bronzetti

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Armamento su ballast e pista ciclabile

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I 187 m a binario unico della galleria Ramera

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The new infrastructure extends for 11.5 kilometres between Bergamo and Villa d'Almè, largely reusing the alignment of the former Valle Brembana Railway. In practice, the project has transformed the former single-track railway into a modern double-track light rail line designed to connect the city of Bergamo with its north-western urban belt and the entrance to the Brembana Valley.
The T2 also completes Bergamo's tramway network, inaugurated in 2009 with the T1 Bergamo–Albino line. Thanks to the so-called "tramway Y", it integrates the Seriana Valley and Brembana Valley corridors into a single rapid public transport system.
Starting from the Bergamo FS Railway Station terminus in Piazzale Marconi, the T2 shares the T1 alignment for the first four stops before branching off at Bronzetti stop and continuing for 9.843 km along a new double-track alignment on a dedicated right-of-way within the urban road network, reaching Villa d'Almè.

Developed entirely using BIM methodology, the project incorporates numerous design refinements and construction solutions implemented by Milesi, aimed at optimising track gradients, improving the urban integration of the line and enhancing the overall performance of the infrastructure. The route crosses five municipalities, serves a catchment area of approximately 240,000 inhabitants and includes 13 new stops, seven park-and-ride facilities, 29 level crossings and around 10 kilometres of shared pedestrian and cycle path.

Trackwork and electrification 

Presso la stazione di Ponteranica

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Una delle 13 nuove fermate

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Pavimentazione in porfido: particolare

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Particular attention was devoted to the design of the trackwork, adopting solutions typically found in the railway sector. The permanent way mainly consists of conventional ballasted track with 60E1 rails and prestressed reinforced concrete sleepers, while the stops, depot and special sections feature slab track with rails fitted with lateral elastomeric rubber profiles and resilient anti-vibration mats designed to reduce noise emissions. To ensure better integration into the urban environment, the track surface has been finished either with porphyry stone paving or grassed track sections.

"As with the trackwork," explains Daniele Gozzi, GCF Technical Director for Electrification Systems, "the electrification system also follows the standards adopted on the T1 line, with a 750 V DC power supply and an overhead contact line designed to combine high performance with ease of maintenance. The system consists of a twin-wire catenary using 150 mm² conductors, while the depot is equipped with a single-wire 150 mm² overhead line. Power is supplied through seven traction substations, six newly built and one existing substation that has been expanded and upgraded. They are distributed along the alignment at an average spacing of approximately 1 to 1.5 kilometres."

The traction substations also provide power to all the line's technological systems, including telecommunications, railway signalling, remote control and supervision systems, stop facilities, traffic signal installations and motorised overhead line disconnectors.

Particular attention has also been devoted to the technological component of the project, including a distributed interlocking light rail signalling system, centralised supervision of all installations and a fibre optic network linking the stops, traction substations and the Operations Control Centre.

Tesatura al Deposito Petosino

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Binario di ingresso al Deposito Petosino

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Una delle 7 sottostazioni elettriche

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Among the most significant works carried out by GCF is the new Petosino depot, designed to accommodate 11 light rail vehicles and intended for the stabling and routine maintenance of the fleet.
The environmentally sustainable facility, equipped with a rooftop photovoltaic system covering approximately 400 square metres, includes covered stabling tracks, a maintenance workshop fitted with an inspection pit for underfloor vehicle maintenance, washing facilities and all the technological infrastructure required for daily operations.
The depot will become the line's main operational base and one of the most important technological hubs of the entire infrastructure.

The new T2 line will soon be served by ten new Škoda ForCity Smart electric light rail vehicles, each 33.5 metres long and capable of carrying up to 281 passengers, including 66 seats, 64 fixed and two folding seats located adjacent to the wheelchair areas.

Once the remaining completion works have been finalised over the coming weeks and the pre-revenue testing programme has been completed, the new T2 line will enter service by the end of the year, helping reshape mobility across the western Bergamo metropolitan area.

At full operation, the line is expected to carry approximately four million passengers per year, while reducing road traffic by an estimated 10%.

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