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Italy’s Local Transport Faces 38% Real Funding Drop as Budget Pulls €425 Million From Metros

Legambiente’s Pendolaria report links deteriorating daily rail to investment choices favoring the Strait Bridge.

Overview

  • After inflation, the national transport fund will be worth about 38% less in 2026 than in 2009, the report finds.
  • The 2026 budget reduces financing by €425 million for Rome’s Metro C, Milan’s M4 extension to Segrate, and the AfragolaNaples connection.
  • Legambiente contrasts a €15 billion allocation for the Strait Bridge with €5.4 billion delivering roughly 250 km of tramways across 11 cities.
  • Service reliability is worsening, with 8,038 cancellations on the Roma Nord–Viterbo line in the first ten months of 2025 and 185 fewer regional trains running in 2024 than in 2023.
  • Climate and equity risks are mounting, with 229 extreme-weather rail disruptions since 2010, a ministry estimate of €5 billion in annual damages by 2050, and average household transport spending at 10.8% versus a 6% vulnerability threshold.