The first of Stadler’s 74 new Tramlink low-floor trams has entered commercial operation in Milan since Thursday 20 February. The transport operator Azienda Transporti Milanesi S.p.A. (ATM) is planning to replace older high-floor vehicles by the new Tramlink fleet. For the metropolis of Lombardy, the new Stadler Tramlink trams represent a milestone in the modernisation of public transport.
The first vehicle, numbered 7701, was presented to the public for the first time at the Messina depot by Arrigo Giana, CEO of ATM, and Iñigo Parra, CEO and President of Stadler Valencia, on 19 February 2025. The first new vehicles began passenger service on lines 7 and 31.
With a total investment of around EUR 190 million, ATM has commissioned Stadler Valencia with the complete renewal of Milan’s trams with 74 new vehicles following a public tender. On average, each vehicle costs around EUR 2.56 million. However, as there are both three- and five-car vehicles, the respective vehicle costs are different.
The historic Ventotto carriages will be preserved
Opened in 1881, Milan’s tramway today has a network length of over 116 km with a special track gauge of 1445 mm. It operates 17 lines, for which 423 vehicles are available.
The new Stadler Tramlink trams will replace the oldest high-floor articulated cars built between 1955 and 1960 and some of the “Jumbotrams” built in the 1970s. The 151 Ventotto trams, which have already become an icon for Milan, will remain in operation.
Thanks to the commissioning of the 74 new Tramlinks, the proportion of low-floor vehicles in Milan will increase from 48% to 70%. The vehicles are characterised by swivelling bogies at the ends of the carriages. One or two bogies are located in the centre of the vehicle. The three-section units are 25 metres long, the five-car units 35 metres.
Technical data:
- Track gauge: 1,445 mm
- Voltage: 600 V DC
- Length (3-section): 25,400 mm
- Vehicle width: 2,400 mm
- Vehicle height: 3,685 mm
- Entrance height: 350 mm
- Wheel diameter (new): 610 mm
- Power: 4 x 105 kW
- Smallest curve radius: 17 m
- Maximum speed: 60 km/h
