Mobility is no walk in the park. Companies, technology and vision

Mobility in a major European metropolis such as Milan is undergoing a transformation. This will be discussed at Il Foglio’s event “Il futuro della mobilità”, scheduled to take place at the Automobile Club of Milan on 15 September. For, as well as being the engine of growth, mobility in a city that has made dynamism its strong point is intrinsically linked to environmental issues. And the quality of transport – with all due respect to environmentalists on two wheels – is not measured in kilometres of cycle paths. Rather, it must be viewed through the prism of infrastructure and transport operators, bearing in mind that the new approach must bring together the public and private sectors. The backbone of the city’s public transport system, thanks to its five metro lines, is undoubtedly ATM, a company that has always been reliable and the envy of the whole of Italy. The figures speak for themselves: ten years ago, Milan had four lines, 96.8 kilometres and 113 stations. Now there are five lines, 111.3 kilometres and 134 stations. The number of journeys has risen from 2,300 to 3,261, and passenger numbers, including those on surface transport, have reached 1.8 million.

In 2025, ATM formed a consortium, together with Webuild and Hitachi Rail, to launch the ‘Mobility Project’, ahead of the forthcoming European tender for the Milan service, scheduled for as early as 2026 (though there will likely be a two-year extension of the current contract), with a vision for a system capable of anticipating the evolution of public transport and collaborating with strategic partners. This industrial project takes the form of project financing, with ATM retaining control. The idea driving the companies involved in the project aims to integrate operational management with the capacity to design and implement the necessary development of the metro network. A detailed feasibility study, which brings these two strategic aspects together, has already been submitted to the City Council and the local public transport agency. Webuild would undertake the construction work, whilst Hitachi Rail would make a significant contribution in terms of technological expertise regarding rolling stock and digital signalling systems. ATM has encountered an obstacle along the path of this new strategy, having participated in – and lost – the tender, alongside Hitachi and Rail STS, to operate the Copenhagen metro (which it had managed for a full 18 years). However, the company is not giving up.

Trenord – the other key player in the metropolitan public transport system – has not only purchased 214 new trains but, together with RFI, is modernising the ageing and inadequate rail network, which is responsible for the numerous delays and service cancellations that cause so much hardship for commuters. Thanks to FNM, the first railway line powered by green hydrogen is also taking shape, running between Brescia, Iseo and Edolo.

All experts agree that the transport system for the Greater Milan area – which necessarily extends to a large part of the region – requires strong integration and substantial investment. However, whilst ATM and Trenord are failing to find the common ground that would be necessary, on the air transport front – which is fundamental to Milan’s growth as a European capital – SEA is working on a number of innovative projects. The most recent concerns the freight delivery system; indeed, over the years Malpensa has become a major logistics hub, handling 800,000 tonnes of freight and accounting for around 60 per cent of the air cargo market in Italy. Indeed, trials are continuing on a new intermodal logistics model that combines rail and electric transport for the movement of small consignments between Malpensa Airport and the centre of Milan. This initiative was launched as part of the European OLGA (hOListic & Green Airports) project, co-funded by the European Union. The partners, alongside SEA, are Trenord and DHL Express Italy. The aim is to assess the operational feasibility of a new solution for the distribution of small consignments, helping to reduce road transport, emissions and traffic congestion. The delivery of goods is the bane of transport around the Lombard capital. In the Milan metropolitan area, it is estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 commercial vehicles are on the move every day, taking into account both vehicles officially registered in the local vehicle register and the daily flow of vehicles coming from outside the province for goods delivery. Then there are 155,000 parcels a day linked to e-commerce and urban logistics, with market research estimates suggesting up to 120,000 B2C (consumer-to-consumer) deliveries and around 90,000 B2B (business-to-business) deliveries city-wide.

According to the regional agency Polis, the logistics sector in Lombardy represents a strategic asset for both the regional and Italian economies, accounting for 22 per cent of national value added and 18 per cent of all companies operating in the sector. From an economic perspective, logistics contributes approximately €69.2 billion to Italy’s GDP, directly employing over 261,000 people in Lombardy. The sector is highly interdependent with other productive activities; however, its reliance on foreign suppliers and structural inefficiencies highlight the need for improvements in infrastructure and management. One of the sector’s giants, Amazon, has embarked on a modernisation programme through the electrification of its fleet, urban micromobility and intermodal transport. The company’s overall objective is to achieve net-zero CO₂ emissions by 2040 through its commitment to The Climate Pledge. However, significant challenges remain. There is also a large number of small logistics firms that cannot afford a radical overhaul of their fleets. Economic support would be needed not only from local authorities but also from large companies, which are currently less sensitive to the issue.

Returning to Sea – which manages the two airports of Linate and Malpensa, as well as holding a significant stake in Orio al Serio Airport – the company has launched a feasibility study to create, together with Sagat, the North-West airport hub comprising Turin-Caselle Airport. Alongside the changes driven by business dynamics, this shift in direction is marked by the consolidation of the partnership with the F2i Group, which in turn controls 100 per cent of Sagat and holds a 45 per cent stake in SEA. Should the project come to fruition, the prospect is to strengthen the partnership between the public sector (the City of Milan holds a 51 per cent stake in SEA) and the private sector, with F2i, in order to play a significant role on the international stage.