Lombardy’s Tav Railway Faces Local Opposition and Environmental Concerns
The first bell has rung for the opening round of what promises to be a lengthy and contested debate: the quadrupling of the railway line, better known as Tav, an acronym for Treno ad alta velocità (High-Speed Train), connecting Milan and Venice. The project will impact the entire eastern Lombardy area, especially the inland region of Garda. First round, as mentioned. Transport Minister Pierluigi Bersani has scheduled the first services meeting for October 30 in Rome, at the Hotel Parco dei Principi. The official notice has been sent to the tables of all mayors whose territories will be affected by the mega railway project; among them are Sirmione, Desenzano, Pozzolengo, and gradually, all the others.
During the operational meeting, representatives from various entities can obviously submit objections, suggestions, and opinions, whether negative or positive. The project’s route will roughly run parallel to the “Serenissima” highway, therefore not adjacent to the historic line. This means that the already troubled inland area of Garda, one of the most scenic in terms of landscape and featuring a high vocation for viticulture, will face another heavy assault. There is no doubt about that.
Although the project is subject to possible modifications, at least the producers and affected populations hope so. The controversies that greeted the project upon its presentation in the early 1990s are destined to flare up again. In the territory of Lonato, for example, the plan foresees that high-speed trains will pass through tunnels then reappear above ground approximately at the “Rossa” tavern on the road to San Pietro-Centenaro. Subsequently, another about 180 meters of tunnel near the Sirmione highway tollbooth will be constructed.
However, some are already preparing themselves, including Rino Polloni, a Desenzano councilor from Lega. On Wednesday, during the city council meeting at Palazzo Bagatta, he presented an urgent motion asking the mayor to ensure that during the services conference, the project be carried out with safeguards for local populations, manufacturing businesses, and agriculture.
The motion also calls for consideration of the landfills in the area and the need to install noise barriers. The Lega councilor also pointed out that “the intervention in question has not yet been financed, nor has an Environmental Impact Assessment (VIA) been conducted by the Minister of the Environment.” “This appears to be a pre-election photo-op by the Transport Minister,” Polloni protested.
Concluding his remarks, Polloni highlighted that “the route should be modified in the San Martino area because it crosses a historic-monumental zone; therefore, the railway should be placed in a tunnel, as in Lonato.”
One last note. The Municipality of Desenzano has expressed outright opposition to high-speed rail with a council resolution from October 1992, reaffirmed on June 21, 1996. But tangential projects show: municipalities have little power over these national-interest projects. The only viable option remains convincing the technical specialists to route at least a significant part of the new railway line through tunnels between Lonato and Peschiera. Representatives of opposition political groups include Renato Roberti, Franco Ferrari, and Davide Bollani.