Should Brescia Metro Reach Montichiari Airport, Experts Say
Should the metro be built? It should, provided it reaches at least Montichiari Airport. “And for this, we must vote yes in the referendum, provided the project adopts a provincial scope.” These were the main points discussed at yesterday morning’s inter-municipal conference at the Centro Fiera di Montichiari, attended by a large audience, including a good number of officials from the involved municipalities.
The audience contributed to the debate with interventions that were not always in agreement with the majority. After all, the topic lends itself to many interpretations: the issue of public and private transportation is always highly relevant, especially considering the project for the Brescia light metro and the outcome of a referendum that will seek residents’ opinions in the city of Brescia.
The conference and the project
The conference, organized by the cultural association “Libertà @ progresso,” had a provocative title: “A cross on the metro.” The choice of location, the conference hall of the Centro Fiera di Montichiari, was no coincidence, “because right here in front,” it was stated, “a metro station could be built.”
Two members of the association, president Angelo Piovanelli and Montichiari native Renato Ferrari, coordinated the proceedings, introducing the topic with a clear message that “the metro should be conceived as a cross that, from Valtrompia, crosses the city to reach the eastern Lowlands at Montichiari, and from the west, starting from Franciacorta, it runs across the city to reach the Valtenesi areas.” To explore the possibilities of this idea, engineer Giorgio Schiffer, head of transportation at Asm, and Enzo Cibaldi, industrialist and councilor for Forza Italia in Brescia, were invited to contribute.
Obstacles and proposals
The presence of the Province president, Alberto Cavalli, was scheduled, but an unforeseen extension of a Council meeting prevented him and Transport Department head Vigilio Bettinsoli from attending.
The involvement of the Province in the metro issue has always been at the forefront of discussions and debates, to the point that it has been suggested that President Cavalli act as the “guarantor of the territorial province’s scope, not only for the route towards Valtrompia but also considering the inevitable trajectory toward the eastern Lowlands.”
A program agreement was proposed between the Province representatives, the municipalities of Brescia, S. Zeno, Borgosatollo, Castenedolo, Montichiari, Ghedi, Calcinato, and Lonato. Two hypotheses were formulated by Libertà @ progresso for connecting to the eastern Lowlands: a metrobus line that from S. Zeno, passing through Borgosatollo and Castenedolo, connects to Montichiari; or a tramway that, using the Brescia-Parma railway line near Ghedi, links Montichiari and connects to the interport (Rezzato and Lonato) on the Brescia-Venice line.
The characteristics of the current project, concerning the city and the connection with Concesio, were well explained by engineer Schiffer: 18 kilometers of line, 31 stations (8 underground), a reorganization of the entire transport system, and seven years of work for completion.
However, on March 31 of the previous year, the Brescia Municipality, the Province, and the Region signed a protocol of agreement regarding future extensions to Gardone Valtrompia and Montichiari, and the overall reorganization of public transport within the Brescia metropolitan area, involving the capital and 41 surrounding municipalities: “A path to be followed with clarity of purpose, without further delays, involving all interested municipalities,” concluded councilor Enzo Cibaldi.