A project is underway to develop a tramway connecting the two main centres of the urban area of Cosenza in the southern Italian region of Calabria: namely the city of Cosenza itself and the town of Rende. The construction of this new public transport service is partly financed by the EU.
New tramway connection between the city of Cosenza and the University of Calabria
- 01 June 2018
The tramway being built under the project provides a direct connection between the centre of the city of Cosenza, Rende and the campus of the University of Calabria, in the village of Arcavacata, around 5 kilometres north-east of the centre of Rende.
Implementation of the project takes place over two phases, with the first phase comprising solely the design of the infrastructure. The entirety of the construction work is being carried out under the second phase and includes the installation of 21 kilometres of tram line and 38 tram stops. Completion is foreseen for May 2020.
A shift from private to public transport
One of the principal objectives of the action is to bring about a substantial shift in the urban areas of Rende and Cosenza away from the use of private road transport and towards environmentally friendly means of public transport such as trams.
By helping to reduce levels of traffic congestion on the roads and emissions of greenhouse gases, the project will contribute to making mobility more sustainable and support the shift towards a low-carbon economy in all sectors. It will also lead to cleaner air around Cosenza, thereby improving the quality of life for local residents.
A total of EUR 160 million has been spent on the development of the tramway over both phases of the project. Of this, around EUR 106 million was provided for the second phase alone by the EU through the European Regional Development Fund. The number of people who stand to benefit from the work is estimated at 200 000.
An important cultural centre in southern Italy
Situated at the confluence of the Busento and Crati rivers, Cosenza has a population of around 71 000 and is the capital of the province of the same name – the most populous of the five provinces of the region of Calabria, with some 730 000 inhabitants. It is one of southern Italy’s main cultural centres and a number of theatres, museums and libraries are located there.
At an area of 200 hectares, the University of Calabria has one of the largest campuses of any university in Italy. Designed by renowned Italian architect Vittorio Gregotti, it follows the model of many British and North American campuses in that students live on campus in purpose-built residential blocks. It was founded in 1972 and around 28 000 students are enrolled at the institution. Arcavacata itself meanwhile, is home to just 1 800 people.
Rende has approximately 35 000 permanent inhabitants, but this figure rises to somewhere in the region of 60 000 when the University of Calabria students living within the municipality are taken into account.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Tramway connections in the city of Cosenza, II. phase” is EUR 160 000 000, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 106 039 361 through the “Calabria” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period.