Le Passante ferroviario de Milan

Abstract

The Passante ferroviario is an underground railway junction of the terminus stations of the two train networks, the Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) and Ferrovie nord Milano Spa (FNM), which provide service for Milan. This rail interconnection is the keystone in a much larger public transportation project which will both suppress the separation between the FS and FNM networks, and assert the complementarity of the different modes present within a new transportation system, which will then be hierarchized and integrated on the levels of infrastructure, fares and management. One specific operator will be named to organize and administer this new regional train service. The project for the Passante emerged during the 60s, and it should be open for service to the public by the end of this century. This somewhat long delay may be explained by an evolution in the decision-making process in which, from an initial determination of a solution to a problem, the situation finally became the redefinition of problems after the various actors had taken over the project. This is a good illustration of the notion of the "garbage can" conceptualized by M. Cohen, J. March and J. Olsen. Using the example of the Passante, interconnection appears to be a process which corresponds to a state of instability, which in turn refers to a territorial imbalance. Moreover, this type of project, between sector (transportation) and territory (on different levels), involving multiple partnerships, would seem to be able to provide the opportunity for setting up innovative mechanisms and/or the local co-ordination of transportation and urban planning.