Rome's Historic, Wacky, and Modern Railways

[@RMTransit]

Check out the bonus video on Rome's trams over on Nebula after you're done watching this one: nebula.tv/videos/rmtransit-the-trams-that-serve-the-ancient-city-of-rome

[@davidetrimigliozzi3091]

When I visited Rome in 2019 the guide told us that many people in Rome and herself disagreed with building a station so close to the Colosseum, it was and still is controversial

[@ninnobroggi]

Reminder: In Italian, I is always pronounced "e", so in Termini, i's are pronounced "e" in english. And double c's with an h after are always pronounced as "k", like Vecchia is pronounced Vekia. Is there a reason for why you don't google the pronounciation for these for example? (Don't mean to be rude or anything)

[@nathanharyanto2455]

​@ninnobroggi ditto. Good to point it out. Also when you say 'e' you pronounce it more like 'ee' rather than 'eh' so it becomes 'termin-ee' but less emphasis on the ee and instead on the 'ter'. I went to Rome this Easter and we took train and bus everywhere. I basically got all the bus routes and train stations memorized

[@alexeigoukov1109]

When I wanted to point out the mispronunciation of the Italian names Termini and Civitavecchia, I found that somebody had already done it for me. However, I'd still like to point out that the stress in Piramide falls on the second syllable: PirAmide, not *PiramIde. Also, the double z in "Piazza" is actually pronounced like a double "ts", which you manage in "Venezia".

[@liamtahaney713]

In my opinion rome is one of the most underserved cities in europe with regards to transit. The Amazing history not withstanding, the city is clearly desprate for more trams and rapid transit. I love it with my whole heart, dont get me wrong. But i think its severely lacking from the point of view of a city people actually live in.

[@carel_dfx]

Nonetheless, the mayor of Rome is solving this problem by extending the metro system

[@cal7348]

​@@carel_dfxil governo*. Il comune di roma è pieno di debiti non ha un soldo.

[@drdewott9154]

@@carel_dfx And thats good, but with how many archeological ruins are in the way everywhere, it means construction takes an eternity. And while extending the C is very much needed, I doubt you can count on the metro to be this slow in construction to handle the city's needs. A buildout of trams, preferably to light rail standards, really ought to be done to compliment the metro lines. The buses definitely cant handle it all, the Line 40 bus especially between Termini and the Vatican via Piazza Venitia ought to be upgraded to a tram route or at the very least a BRT as soon as possible.

[@Sonomarawaste]

Da quanto so voglio chiudere la Roma-giardinetti per fare una tramvia e la linea più vecchia di Roma svanirà :'(

[@nicknickbon22]

@@drdewott9154there is in fact a proposal of a new tram line which parallels part of metro c through city center.

[@drdewott9154]

Rome definitely has ambitious plans but all of the archeological ruins in the city are definitely slowing things down. Its why it has taken so long just to extend Line C into the inner city. It was under construction when I first visited in 2010 and is still under construction today. One station was even cancelled because there was simply too many ruins in the way of the station site. Also glad I was able to help with some footage.

[@pvmatrappurple360]

@@drdewott9154 which station was cancelled?

[@drdewott9154]

@@pvmatrappurple360 One at Largo di Torre Argentina.

[@xdz1039]

Actually the archeological ruins have little to do with the delays. Simply put: the executive plans were just halted for a long time, with a complete stop in financing. The initial mistake was constructing the line by "stages", and not starting the works on the entirety of the line from the start. This caused delays and a raise on costs. The station you mention could be constructed, but it was easily scraped because planners thought is not not completely necessary as the distance between Venezia and Chiesa Nuova stations is not that big, and furthermore the new TVA tram line which will run on the same direction is financed and ready to go.

[@zaferyurt7703]

The same situation applies to Istanbul and Athens.

[@RMTransit]

Thanks for your help!

[@raffaellasansoni5346]

An ambitious project that Rome is trying to start is the “Anello ferroviario”, which consists in connecting the Roma Nomentana to Vigna Clara stations, to create a ring, that in italian is called “anello”

[@MRCento13]

Well, this is definitely a video I immediately clicked on the second it got on my feed... Just finished watching it, and as a Roman myself, it's a great introduction to our chaotic, yet fascinating rail transport (I guess that's the price we pay for having plans constantly drawn, rejected, remade from scratch, then only partly realised before - again - implementing changes, and this went on until 2019, with the first general transport plan possibly in the history of our city to have some apparent continuity; not everything from the original draft was kept as it got approved in 2022, but it's still some basis for our development) As you mentioned, the lack of some sort of categorization of our suburban lines might be a setback - however it wasn't really planned as a modern suburban network (say, like an S-Bahn or an RER), but more of an integrated, unified identity for regional services in the broader Lazio region (hence the current name FL - Ferrovie Laziali, or Lazio Railways; even though ironically enough they started off in 2000 as FM - Ferrovie Metropolitane... which would be Metropolitan Railways, and that definitely didn't fit the long distance commuter services like the current FL5 and FL7); and as far as I know there really isn't any plan to actually introduce a proper suburban service (and it shows with the stock being used - the Rock EMUs and the Vivalto coaches are meant for medium distance regional services, but the former are found on the more local service patterns of FL1 and FL3 - and yes, I say service patterns because the FL brand exists basically only on maps, with trains classified as simply Regionali, and seeing a plethora of different stopping patterns - mainly in where one of their termini is located - you could find in the same FL3 group both a suburban - almost metro service - to Cesano and Vigna Clara, and a long-distance regional to Viterbo... definitely a lot of room for improvement there); however, a link to the main lines feeding into the "nodo di Roma" (the main rail corridor - a more technical name for the lines feeding into the core Tiburtina-Trastevere corridor, and the branch to Termini) is planned to be built, the famed "Anello Ferroviario" (railway loop), a section of which reopened after decades of setbacks, some of them amusingly ridiculous, in typical Roman fashion, and is the spur from Valle Aurelia to Vigna Clara (the branch of the FL3 in the north), which is due to be extended to the FL1 in Val d'Ala, and to the main yards immediately to the north, creating an alternative route for both freight and passenger services, as well as a new orbital line (in some plans, at least, it's a single service, the FL0, however others just extend and reroute services from the south and east to through-run with lines from the west, only time will tell what service patterns we use) The link you mentioned with metro lines and interurbans - I must say, is something I took so much for granted it actually just came back to me as you talked about it! And with the Roma-Lido line and metro line B, it goes even further than just two parallel lines on a map, as when it opened in 1955, line B shared all characteristics of the Lido line, being built to the wider railway loading gauge - and even having express trains through-run from Ostia to Termini between 1956 and 1987 (first with 6-car MR100 and 200 units, supplemented by specially rebuilt trailers, and then - in the last years of service, with MA100 trains of line A, which were first delivered to the depot of lines B and Roma-Lido in Magliana for testing in 1975, but some ended up staying there in regular service for another 12 years...) One quick note: the RCV and RMG lines aren't usually known as their acronyms, which are mainly used internally by Atac and Cotral, in public info their full names are used "Roma-Civita Castellana-Viterbo" and "Roma-Giardinetti/Termini-Centocelle" (since service to Giardinetti has been "temporarily suspended" since 2015), but locals have plenty of nicknames for them: the RCV is usually called "la Roma-Nord" or simply "la Nord" in reference to the first company that operated it, the Società Romana per le Ferrovie del Nord (SRFN); the RMG has even more nicknames: "il trenino" (the little train, fittingly) "il Grotte Celoni" or "la Fiuggi" (a callback to former termini of the line, Grotte Celoni was the main terminus for urban services, and Fiuggi for longer distance regional services, before the former was closed for conversion to metro line C in 2008, the latter being closed with the rest of the outer, truly interurban section, in 1983), some older people still mention "le Vicinali" while on their way on the yellow and white trains of via Casilina (this, again, being a callback to the first company that operated the line, the Società per le Ferrovie Vicinali, SFV) And, to end with another interesting quirk on the links that metro lines and interurbans have, I just mentioned how the Vicinali (I'm one of the more, per se, "vintage" enthusiasts, hehe) had a section closed in 2008, the outer Giardinetti-Pantano line: it was completely rebuilt from 1996 to 2006, a colossal project that involved doubling the line from Grotte Celoni, which was still on its single-track alignment from 1916, new stations (Fontana Candida, Bolognetta, Finocchio and Graniti), rebuilds and refurbishments to the original stations (which included raising half the platforms, as in half the length of each platform) (fun fact: Torrenova stands out quite peculiarly, incorporating some design elements from the very simple original station, such as the old building and goods shed, all still present), and full grade separation, in order to be ready for a possible conversion to metro operations (at that time the outer route for Metro C wasn't clear yet, but most plans called for it to replace the interurban from Giardinetti onwards); of course, this was the route metro C took in the end, and the almost brand-new infrastructure was very controversially closed in 2008, and had to be rebuilt a second time to accomodate driverless technology (all previsions made beforehand were for metro trains with drivers, and possibly a coexistence of narrow-gauge trains and standard-gauge metros for a while, with the 1650V line being fairly easily convertible to 1500V) Again, really enjoyed it, and I might even check out the bonus explainer on the trams, me personally being very attached to them and the Giardinetti line (as I live over a tram line, I commute weekly through Porta Maggiore, and most of my family on my dad's side lives along the now suspended part of the Giardinetti line) (of course, though, the metro lines still fascinate me - the old aluminium line B trains are what kickstarted my whole interest in railways, after all)

[@RMTransit]

Thanks for watching! I do think an RER type system would bve great for Rome! I used the acronyms so that I would have less to incorrectly pronounce since I often take a lot of heat if I get something wrong!

[@MRCento13]

@@RMTransit That would definitely help with making the national railway services a bit clearer - and we could definitely learn a lot from the likes of Paris and Berlin, in how they developed local railways into their respective RER and S-Bahn, but before we start any restructuring, we should probably have a complete base infrastructure; the Anello Ferroviario might just be that missing link, but then we'd have to start debating on how to structure what is essentially a new mode (either by looking at RER C and D, with lower platforms and double-decker stock similar to what we have, or go the extra mile and implement high-platform, 3 or 4-door stock like RER A and B or the BR485s that Berlin kept till a few months back) And then again, as plenty of other comments already stated - there's still lots of work to be done on urban transport in general before we can get a network comparable to other European capitals: we rely far too much on buses (and that's a consequence of the destruction of our tram network, which was, oddly for the time - reserved in quite a large proportion, mainly with the tram alignment being slightly raised in a so-called "marciatram" - that is, basically, a pavement-like structure that surrounded the tracks - quite fittingly, it's a play on the word "marciapiede/marciapiedi" which, of course, means pavement/sidewalk in Italian) (At the same time the city expanded rapidly, and without any plans, so entire districts were built in the span of a few years, but the best connections they could get were bus extensions, or new "peripheral" bus routes, that is, lines that fed into the outer terminus of the few tram lines that were holding up during that decade, or central buses), and possibly the other side of this heavy bus reliance is of course the high motorization levels (Rome has, infamously, one of the highest car ownership rates in Europe) And if that weren't enough, as we started closing tram lines in the 50s and 60s (we almost closed our network completely, but Atac managed to save it, also partly thanks to the 1973 oil crisis, even though they were forced to close one more tram line that year), funding in general started dwindling, and funds are still incredibly lacking, as Atac had to get back on its feet after almost failing in a spectacular way (it is a public agency, but, as all things do, it still operates with a profit motive, however in the late 2000s and early 2010s mismanagement brought it to a frightening 1,5 billion, yes, with a B, euros in debt, ironically with the municipality and regional government, and we're seeing some lukewarm improvements only now, after almost 15 years...) A chaotic (and at times, infuriating, as I said under a previous video of yours, I think it was Transit for the Olympics) history, and an even more chaotic present, let's hope we can get public transport back on its feet (even though it's been a century of constant institutional battles against it), Rome definitely deserves it! (And personally, I'd say the key to that is kicking the expansion of the tram network... "into parallel" - pardon the pun - as an expansion of the metro network would run - as is indeed the case with under construction and planned extensions - into countless setbacks, be it archeological finds, skyrocketing prices, or even quite a few cases of simply a lack of density, ironically enough; this is a city larger than any other in Italy, but a third of it... is mainly parkland! So trams really find their niche here, as they grant higher capacity than buses, a mainly separated alignment, give or take a few completely mixed traffic sections, and can provide, with interlining services, a capacity high enough for most districts; I'd go as far as saying that the current plans are nowhere near enough, the network, at its highest mileage currently planned, should probably be at least doubled - and that might be an understatement!)

[@realemmyrossum]

I was just in Rome and its bus service was absolutely horrid. Every bus was packed, they didn’t come on time, and there was many ghost buses that forced us to have to walk where we could’ve taken a bus instead. Also incredibly confusing bus routes which either had been rerouted with no indication that that was the case.

[@LucaPasini2]

I've lived in Rome for years and I think you're absolutely right. At least in the last four years the Atac bus fleet has been heavily upgraded: when I first moved there the norm was a 20 years old bus whose parts were literally stuck together with tape. Some suburban routes, that are operated by private companies on behalf of Atac, still have buses in a terrible shape, with no geolocalization, often no AC, and are extremely unreliable. Things are supposed to get better soon, as gradually new companies are taking over those services using brand new buses, but I fear that the questionable work ethic and driving style of the drivers, and the lack of care given to buses in workshops are bound to remain the same.

[@vodkaforlife5965]

There are two main bus operators, ATAC, Roma TPL and autoservizi Troiana. ATAC keeps its busses in good shape. Roma TPL on the other hand uses newer busses but they keep them in terrible shape and generally their frequency is terrible (those are the busses I take if I want to skip school)

[@vodkaforlife5965]

Use Moovit for busses, it’s reliable.

[@RMTransit]

I think bus reform is badly needed in the city!

[@lavillenouvelle]

@@vodkaforlife5965 Autoservizi Troiani is definitely the best. Buses are new and comfortable, and drivers are kind. Too bad their network is quite small.

[@ShadowOfAntioch]

I'd been waiting for an episode on Rome for a long time! Excellent video, as usual. You're really a gem on KZbin. Ah, Rome... a sadly car-centric historical gem of a city that's slowly starting to get things back on track when it comes to transportation and urbanism! Decades of underinvestment by both the municipal and national government are being reversed, with 4 new tram lines and over 100km of new tracks starting construction by the end of the year. On top of the metro C and A extensions you mentioned in the video. (As an Italian I cried a little at your pronunciations, but all is forgiven)

[@nicknickbon22]

Unfortunately our language does not accent non plain words, unlike Spanish. So Reece assumed that piramide is a plain word because most of Italian words are actually plain.

[@Myrtone]

Do any of the modes mentioned in that video have request stops? If so, which ones? Obviously not the metros.

[@RMTransit]

Its good that things seem to be turning around with all the expansion, a real transport renaissance!

[@lavillenouvelle]

@@Myrtone The Roma - Civitacastellana - Viterbo has request stops, since its traffic is quite low. This is an american-style commuter railway, with just 2 stations downtown, and all the remaining stations being Park and Ride, and most of the line running next to a freeway. And, as american commuter railways, ridership is low outside peak hours.

[@Myrtone]

@@lavillenouvelle What about the Roma-Giardinetti railway? Does that have request stops?

[@FrenchLeafA350]

All tracks lead to rome

[@RMTransit]

Indeed!

[@B2BWide]

Wrong. All tracks lead FROM Rome bug people use'em the wrong way ;) :D :D :D (This is just a joke. I actually LOVE Rome!)

[@carljo002]

Hey Reece, have you ever looked at Basel's tram network? For a city the size of just under 200.000, having 12 tram lines is quite impressive. I love the system there and I thought I was just gonna suggest it.

[@liamtahaney713]

Also the only tram system in the world which crosses two international borders. They use very similar rolling stock to my home city (Antwerp) and even though our tram system is also extremely good, the insane frequency in an even smaller city gave me major tram envy even on a Sunday.

[@CityWhisperer]

Reminds me of Bilbao with 350.000 inhabitants. 3 metro lines, a tram line, 3 broad gauge commuter lines & 4 meter gauge commuter lines.

[@RMTransit]

Basel needs a video at some point!

[@B2BWide]

@@RMTransit I'm really curious what would you say about the public transport of Budapest. I have very mixed feelings and it would be great to listen to an uninvolved expert.

[@rogersexton7857]

Thank you Reece for an absolutely superb video! I have never visited Rome. (I do not like hot climates!) In about ten minutes I learnt a huge amount about the city's heavy rail network. There is even more diversity than I had thought! Your point about the interchange at the Colosseum is of fundamental importance world wide.

[@RichardFraser-y9t]

Rome isn't all that warm in the winter but you could get wet, it's well worth the visit.

[@barryrobbins7694]

The weather in Italy is very nice in the early fall. Also, a lot fewer tourists.

[@RMTransit]

Thanks Roger! Theres a lot going on in Rome, its very interesting!

[@HerrXenon_]

There's a team of architects with a pretty thorough plan to convert Rome's suburban railways into metro lines, therefore massively incresing the system's capacity with the lowest cost possible. We are talking about a huge leap in modernisation with a very short time frame. Sadly, nobody listens to them. It's called "Progetto Metrovia".

[@kirillboyko9208]

It’s pronounced “Ter-mee-nee”.

[@realo.g.7388]

@@kirillboyko9208 no termini all short

[@Danielhake]

And not because it's a terminus, but because it's next to the termini (baths) built by Diocletian

[@effeo9962]

Seriously! Canada, and Toronto in particular, are not short of Italian speakers.

[@effeo9962]

​@@Danielhaketerme is bath, and the plural is termi.

[@Hastdupech8509]

​​@@effeo9962"le terme" lacks the singular, so no "termi". But the commenter is right, it was called Termini because it's near to Diocletian's terme

[@grumio7132]

I spent a few months in Rome recently, and was a bit saddened by the lack of effective transport. The main obstacle in this is that the Campo Marzio, where most of the tourist sites are, is incredibly dense in archaeological sites. As such, it’s cost-prohibitive to build tunnels. Lots of people travel by bus, but these are hindered by the city’s traffic: it was often cheaper for me to walk than travel by bus. I think that the city’s best chance to expand its transit is to build dedicated tramways through the historic center, and keep these as separated from car traffic as possible.

[@urbanfile3861]

Problem to build an underground metro in Rome are not the tunnels, for they build 'em deep down under the archeological level. Problem are the stations, which have to go through the archeologic level. But ingeneers know that and they forecast methods to minimize the problem and plan the stations to deal with what they find to manage it. But that is expensive, very expensive. And takes time For instance, Venezia line C station, now under construction, because of archeological level (they also know what is likely to be found underground) is forecasted very deep, but also very large, and will host the very remains they will found during the dig. Because of that it's completion will take 10 years and its cost is forecast to be € 800 mio. While it could seem cheap compared to NY, actually it's not. It's very expensive compared to other Italian transit projects. For istance in Milan they're going to build a 12 kms completely underground extention of metro M5 for a bit more that cost

[@B2BWide]

@@urbanfile3861 Oh man, I had the feeling that construction of Line C is as old as Rome itself. I've been to Rome back in the previous millennium (about 1997) and it was already blocking some main routes as still does nowadays...

[@tdubs9726tw]

I think as low cost options Rome could invest in a ferry service along the Tiber, as well as some cable cars for its more hilly areas. For example, you could easily build one from Piazzale Clodio (soon to be on Metro line C) up to Balduina, down to the Olympic Stadium and then potentially back up to the Viale Cortina d'Ampezzo area

[@mikolasstrajt3874]

That Rome-Giardinetti interurban is only part of longer network which ran to town called Frosinone mostly along historic road Via Casillina. There is a museum of this line in Colonna, Lazio (which I definitely want to visit one day).

[@leonardheiden]

3:28 There is actually a project to complete the northern portion of the ring between Vigna Clara and Nomentana, with FL2 trains being extended from Tiburtina to the west of the city (and eventually FCO airport). Btw I agree with you, this lack of distinction between suburban and regional services makes no sense.

[@hbp_]

I came here to say this :) Although, I think the project has been on and off for a long time. Now that they reopened Vigna Clara I guess there is chance that this could finally happen. Metro C will eventually sort of help with the situation too.

[@prodbyFderrick]

Used to take metro a at San Giovani every day. Loved it. So much drama.

[@MrFreeman626]

I wish more investment went into the public transport. Rome is sadly very car centric, especially outside the city centre. It was built excessively around the 60s and 80s and suffers badly from its subsequent poor land use.

[@nicknickbon22]

Exactly, considering that it has less than 3 mln people in almost 1300km2, if you superimpose the area of Rome in Milan you would get probably double the people. This spread out partly explains why it is difficult to link peripheral areas to the city center.

[@MrFreeman626]

@@nicknickbon22 yes unfortunately some of the more remote areas of the city are completely disconnected from the core of the transport system aside from the occasional bus. It would take huge effort, political and monetary investment to really bring the system up to snuff, but we're making some progress, especially if something like the Stadio Olimpico and adjancent areas get connected by C line.

[@vodkaforlife5965]

Rome relies a lot on its busses with more than 400 lines. Note that there are also the extra urban busses which are really under appreciated they serve places like Cinecittà Word, the Race track…

[@MartinIbert]

Roma Termini is not pronounced anything like that. It's approximately "tare-mee-nee". And why there are still flights between Milano Bergamo (Orio al Serio) airport and Roma Fiumicino airport is beyond my comprehension. By the time I get from Milamo city centre to BGY airport, I could be at least a quarter of the way to Roma Termini by train. Italian high-speed rail is reliable, affordable, and super-comfortable.

[@barvdw]

The reason for those flights is probably because that also works the other way around, if you need to be in Roma Fiumicino airport from Milan, you can save the tiresome trip on the Leonardo Express by flying. But I understand what you're saying, and it's kind of a missed opportunity to not connect Fiumicino to the high-speed network.

[@LucaPasini2]

@@barvdw There are high-speed trains serving Fiumicino daily from Venice and Naples: of course there could be more, but the line has likely reached its capacity limits. The Leonardo Express is fast and frequent and goes directly to Termini, where there are high-speed services every few minutes to all the major Italian cities; however it's unnecessarily expensive, like many airport connections.

[@barvdw]

@@LucaPasini2 good to know, I assumed since the LAV passes Rome to the East, the airport to the West didn't get any service, I was wrong.

[@B2BWide]

@@barvdw Leonardo "Express" is a joke. It's highest speed was 100 kmph when I tried it the last few times. (Previously I didn't see speed indication.) 'T's nothing compared to the Frecce.

[@barvdw]

@@B2BWide the Frecciarossas that are serving Fiumicino won't be going much faster, the maximum line speed is about 110 km/h, except on the short spur to the airport itself that allows for speeds up to 125, and there are places it's well under 100, too. It's 'Express' because it's a limited stops service, rather than its top speed.

[@mukherjeesuniversum2665]

What are the criteria to differentiate between Commuter Rail, Suburban Rail, Regional Rail, Interurban, Light Rail Transit and Tram?

[@RusNad]

As far as I can tell: Commuter rail: characterised by moving passengers to the city centre in the morning and back to the periphery in the evening. usually has limited service outside of rush hour and is generally only useful for getting to the centre of the city. Suburban rail: similar to commuter rail but usually has all day service. Regional rail: usually refers to a more comprehensive network connecting different towns and suburbs in a metropolitan area with the urban core of the area and to each other (Paris RER, Berlin S-bahn etc.) Interurban: a kind of old fashioned tramway/light railway that connects different towns Light rail transit: hard to define, but generally a rail service that has some grade separation but is usually not signalled and uses tram-like vehicles instead of metro cars. Tram: a train that runs on the street with limited grade separation.

[@MarioFanGamer659]

The definitions thereof are quite... interesting because everyone will disagree with each other. Regional railways are the easiest: They're simply railways which serve a greater region (which can be urban but also rural) but don't stop as often as intercity trains Suburban trains are a subtype of regional railways in that they serve a smaller region but with more stops, even becoming rapid transit in some places (e.g. S-Bahn, RER). LRT is a broad term (IMO too loaded to be meaningful) but it typically refers to a railway which is (relatively) easier to build than a typical mainline (for starters, "light rail" originally referred to branch lines). A tram is a subtype of LRT in that it's a bus-like railway whose main characteristic is drive on the street. Unless you're in America in which case it's a box strapped onto ropes. Interurban... well, that one is a bit more difficult to describe. They're typically described as a regional form of LRT (having a higher amount of level crossings than some comparable line, even taking advantage of street running) but some are closer to "heavy rail" than others (see the South Shore Line in Indiana as a good example which blurs the definition).

[@ricequackers]

I visited Rome about 20 years ago, I remember getting out at Colosseo station and being surprised that the Colosseum was just...right there, right across the road from the exit. I just assumed that it would be a short walk from the station being an ancient monument and all.

[@paulmiller591]

Another great discovery video, great stuff Reece!

[@PalmTree.]

As someone living in Rome since my birth i did kind of wish you showed a lot more of it's flaws, for example there is a huge problem on thiefs and pickpocketters in the metros, long rush hour traffic for the buses and trams, incredibly long wait times for buses (which are also in bad condition), especially on the suburbs, also how some places are just impossible to reach without a cars or taxis (which are also riddled with problems). It is commonly joked around that Metro C construction will never be finished and overall Atac (the main company that manages the city's transport) is seen at a really bad light here. However i really appreciate how you were able to present Rome's transport system in a positive way, it felt great to learn about the technology behind the vehicles i travel in every day, and while i did know about plans to build a metro D, I had no idea about metro E and F, and also despite my previous complaints there were no actual mistakes or wrong information in this video and you got everything surprisingly accurately (except the pronunciations :P ). So thank you so much!

[@urbanfile3861]

Metro D is a long planned metro. Unfortunately former mayor Alemanno decided to erase the project and planning to build it wasn't a real thing till recently, when the project was pushed again. Romans often complain they lack of metros because of archeological heritage buried in the soil. Which is only partially true (it is true that is one of the factors which make the costs rise). But the main factor which slowed Rome's transit development was politics IMO To build a metro line is one of the most complicated (and expensive) thing to do and its process, from the sole idea to the completion, could take decades. If politicians do not agree in what to do to go on with the project the delays could be very, very consistent. And that's what unfortunately happened in Rome.

[@LucaPasini2]

There's a nice blog called Odisseaquotidiana that gives a lot of useful information and news about public transport in Rome

[@RMTransit]

I try to make my videos positive because there is no shortage of negative media on public transport systems

[@B2BWide]

@@RMTransit Well, I'm from Budapest where BKK (the blanket company coordinating all public transports of our capital) has a really bad reputation (though there are many improvements). I learned to appreciate all BKK's developments by using ATAC and experience its many flaws, let it be buses, trams, metro or trains. (Your ATAC pass is valid for normal trains within Rome's borders). ATAC actually made me love BKK. :D

[@Valery0p5]

Could you talk about Catania next? Their metro recently got an extension, it's the southernmost in Europe, and it's planned to become one of the longest lines in Italy; sadly there's a lot of wasted potential right now, and management could really use an elbow somewhere... Contact me if you want more info 😉

[@RMTransit]

Maybe eventually in the future!

[@Valery0p5]

@@RMTransit thank you very much 😁😁🙇‍♀️ For public information, the "Mobilità Catania" blog is probably the best source available, even if only in Italian. There isn't much material in English in general sadly.

[@Mezziditrasportochannel]

Super nice video and thanks for all!

[@RMTransit]

Thank you 🙏

[@d1234as]

​@@RMTransitare you going to cover Turin?

[@egelmuis]

A piece of 15th-century city wall hangs in Rotterdam Blaak station, above the train tracks. This is the only remaining piece of city wall, as the rest of the city was demolished by bombing and modernisation.

[@GeniialesCoOko]

"One of Europes most interesting public transport system" - yes "interesting" is the right adjective

[@canespastico]

I'm a roman and I've lived my whole life in rome execpt for a few years in turin and krakow, and for a few years I've worked for an ATAC (the roman public transport company) project of usage statistics, so I can tell you that: - urban trains are good, they cross the whole city before going out of town (or even out of the lazio region) and they have many stops, so people use those as a metro - metro is decent, if only it had more lines and better reliability at rush hour - trams are fairly good, although old and a bit slow (the newest ones are from 1998, the mayor will implement new ones soon) - buses would be punctual and time reliable if only they didnt get stuck in traffic so often my point is: public transport in rome is decent, but 1. the city is MASSIVE and it has 3 million locals + who knows how many tourists everyday; 2. the net is totally underpowered to withstand such amount of people everyday, we just need more lines of everything

[@matthewconstantine5015]

Glad you've taken a first look at Rome. Definitely a fascinating city when it comes to urbanism, transit, car culture, etc. I love a lot about Rome, but after spending ten days there (my longest stay so far), I was desperate to leave. Because of the beyond all reason dominance of the car, I was starting to reach a breaking point. When Manhattan traffic starts to look good, you know something is wrong. It's a city that I think could be much, much more livable if you got rid of like 80% of the cars (which would put it at about the amount of car traffic as your average North American city...and I'm only slightly joking). The bus system needs some love and enforced bus-only lanes....actually, any traffic law enforcement at all would probably be a step in the right direction. I thought cops in the US were bad about ignoring driver law-breaking. Roman cops are on another level.

[@LucaPasini2]

Oh boy, there would be so much to say about Rome's public transport! Here are a few clarifications: -A really important infrastructure project that's scheduled to start construction soon is the closure of the railway ring around the city. Right now line FL3 has a short branch running to Vigna Clara station, which opened recently after being mothballed for more than 30 years! From there the line is supposed to cross the Tiber after an interchange with the Rome-Civita-Viterbo line at Tor di Quinto, and to join the line from Tiburtina to the north at Val D'Ala station. A connection with the line from Civitavecchia is also planned. This project, once completed, is supposed to add capacity around Rome for freight and passenger trains, shortening the trip from Viterbo and Civitavecchia to Rome Tiburtina and Termini by bypassing the line through Ostiense. -Another really important piece of railway infrastructure would be the new station in Pigneto: it would connect the line from Tiburtina to Ostiense to the C metro line, and possibly it could also serve the regional lines out of Termini that pass nearby, making it the busiest station on the whole regional train network. Sadly there were many issues in finding someone to build it, but they seem to be solved for now. -The easternmost section of line C of the metro runs along what used to be the alignment of the interurban line G, which used to run all the way to the city of Frosinone. The line was heavily upgraded in the 90s to make it become a stadtbahn-style light rail, but after a few years it was disconnected from the original route at Giardinetti to make it become part of the metro. Line G for years has been curtailed at Parco di Centocelle, avoiding the section running parallel to the metro. However, the current terminus of line G is quite far away from the station of the same name on line C, making it a terrible interchange point. The tracks running just next to the metro entrance now lie abandoned and neglected. -At San Giovanni, the stations of line A and C are not directly connected: you have to climb all the way to the mezzanine, exit the fare gates, re-enter them and then go down to the other line. This unnecessarily convoluted interchange exists because the city council didn't want to upgrade the fire safety systems on the line A station. As connecting the two stations directly would have legally counted as a new station building, and up-to-date safety features would have been required by law on the entire station, they decided to keep them separate, even if a corridor directly linking the two platforms has been partly dug. Hopefully one day someone will consider doing what's necessary to join them. -There would be many things to say about the "Metromare" line. Together with the Roma-Civita Castellana-Viterbo it has been constantly ranked as the worst commuter line in Italy for many years now. Endless political conflicts between the Rome city council (where the entirety of the line lies, and that used to operate it until last year) and the Lazio region (that for some reason owns the tracks, unlike the Metro ones) caused a chronic lack of investments in rolling stock and track equipment. Now the region decided to operate the line themselves, re-branded it as Metromare (blatantly stealing the name from the rapid trolleybus line in my hometown, Rimini) and is purchasing some new trains. The line has way too few stations: there are many new neighourhoods that were built just next to it in the past few decades, and it could serve a much larger number of people really easily. However due to the lack of rolling stock it's currently already criminally overcrowded and too infrequent, and couldn't cope with the possible new passengers. The logical thing to do would be to turn it into a real metro line (it already looks like one), and to connect it to line B to create though services from Jonio to Ostia. Doing that would require some political and bureaucratic work (the line ownership should be transferred from the region to the city, and its legal status would have to change from a railway line to a metro one), but also some work on the infrastructure: the tracks should be connected to line B south of Piramide, where the two lines meet, and the loading gauge should be reduced from the railway standard to the metro one, by lowering the catenary and widening the platforms by a few centimeters. Another solution could be to order purpose-built trains that could work in both situations on the same service. Will this be done soon? Unfortunately I don't think so, politicians, especially in Rome, care more about arguing sabotaging the opponent's party than about actually solving problems. And I suspect none of them actually uses public transport regularly.

[@barvdw]

I had a look at the points you mentioned, and boy, are you right about missed opportunities at Centocelle and San Giovanni. as well as some other points. I'm not entirely sure I follow you on needing a bunch more stations on Metromare, though, fearing it might make the train ride to Ostia too long. Other than that, absolutely, this situation can't continue as is. Either integrating it in Line B, or using the railhead at San Paolo to continue North(west), to e.g. San Pietro, thus giving the Trastevere area a metro station, would be good ideas IMO.

[@jacopo_44]

@@LucaPasini2 fortunately they are constructing elevators betwrrn line A and C at San Giovanni, better than nothing

[@LucaPasini2]

@@barvdw On the Rome-Lido a new station south of Acilia, near some big apartment complexes, has lied unfinished for years. Now they seem to be working to complete it, and a new station serving the Giardino di Roma neighbourhood is planned to be built soon. I think at least a couple more stops could make sense: I would argue that, if the line became integrated with the metro system and had reliable trains every 5 to 10 minutes, the average time you would save by not having to wait for too long on the platform, and by not having to change train if you're coming from the city centre would probably offset the time you would lose because of the added stops. But the line would improve the quality of life of so many people in the area. Trastevere should be hopefully served by line D in the future, but who knows when!

[@LucaPasini2]

@@jacopo_44 I hope they will complete them soon, I live in Centocelle and have to do that interchange really often. It's not pleasant at all, especially as every other day at least one escalator ramp on the line C side isn't working!

[@tanner293]

Please make a video also about Naples, transit system, they keep estending it and they just opened a brand new line with very beautiful artistic stations

[@imsbvs]

Hello Reece, very interesting video on Rome, over the past few years I have visited Rome 3 times, all of them as day trips from Civitavecchia, this is a cruise port used by most major cruise lines as both stop over and starting point for cruises. It's about an hour from the city centre railway station (Roma Termini). The line also passes some beach resorts and I plan to expore these in an upcoming trip to the area, stay by the beach but visit the city too.

[@svartmetall48]

Hobestly, Rome has terrible public transport on a European scale. Parts of the system are horribly delapidated and the train station is full of scammers and pickpockets.

[@liamnixon4428]

As a non-Italian, I can say that the first thing that, for a long time, popped into my head about Rome's Metro and transit systems is that they are always covered in graffiti.

[@jacopo_44]

@@liamnixon4428 the graffiti situation in the metro has gotten considerably better over the past few years

[@BlipNoir]

Very interesting video as always, Reece! Have you ever checked out the transit system of the Tricity in northern Poland? I think you'd get a kick out of researching the area as there's a mix of suburban trains (with a direct airport link and a new partially underground section in development), regional rail, intercity rail, trams, trolley busses and buses (with a large all-electric fleet to boot) serving the metro area of around 1.5 million people.

[@andrewclarkson3401]

We were in Rome last summer, taking a bus tour leaving from near Rome's Termini station. As we got going, we stopped at a red light for about 60 seconds, and I was amazed to count five trains moving in and out of the station during that red light!

[@vanshchheda1195]

I hope u make an explainer on Mumbai once it’s metro is decently developed

[@markvogel5872]

Sweet I love the transit explained videos!

[@StefanWithTrains]

I used the metro line B and A during my Interrail trip in June. It is really good and has really high frequency.

[@yassinelbadrawy2269]

If you want to talk about metros in historical places you should absolutely make a video about the Cairo Metro. It was Africa's first metro and now there are extensions being built that will make it reach till the pyramids!!

[@simonzprahy9270]

Will you do a video on Prague trams and metro or other transport in the near future?

[@skullz6868]

Hey RM transit could you please do a update on the finch west LRT? Thanks.

[@Low760]

My favourite experience with roman trains was when they had a strike in 2014, it was all in Italian and we caught a train but turns out it was last one, except for the airport line which we were no where near! One €150 trip to the airport in a prius and we still missed the plane.

[@nedzhmiyusuf6557]

Can you do the metro of Bulgaria’s capital- Sofia?

[@MartinIbert]

And ... what did you do to Civitavecchia? The Wikipedia page has a guide on how to say it. (cheeveetah-VEckya).

[@B2BWide]

It was so surprising for me. Reece usually pronounces the foreign names quite well. In the very few times he said Hungarian names he did them quite well though it is a hell for a non-Hungarian speaker :)

[@pizzajona]

3:00 I love that Marco Chitti reference

[@hungo7720]

Rarely could we find a video dissecting the transit network of Rome on youtube like this. As proven, Rome is home to a convenient and nifty subway network and top-notch public transit overall.

[@LucaPasini2]

...not really. Public transport in general in Rome is pretty bad compared to other European capitals, but also to many other Italian cities, due to decades of underinvestment, political infighting and bureaucratic inefficency. To summarize its main issues: it's quite confusing and slow, doesn't properly serve many important parts of the city, maintenance is quite poor, the branding is inconsistent and it's notoriously unreliable. However things could improve in the next decade: many construction projects are set to begin in the next year. Hopefully the mayor will stay the same: he's not that great, but a new one would likely scrap many projects just to show they are doing something, just as the current one did when he was elected.

[@lavillenouvelle]

After the opening of the B line branch in 2012, and of line C between 2014 and 2018, Rome transit network has become huge, and really convenient. I remember in the 90s, when we had to travel everywhere by bus, and we took hours to cross the city. Now, with the new metro extensions, travel time has become much shorter!

[@anthonywalsh2164]

Tiburtina also has a large bus station for long distance buses to many places without a train service.

[@FrogeYT]

Can you do Dusseldorf it has a good system but isnt talked about much

[@freesourcandy]

Btw, the Roma-Giardinetti line used to run up to Frosinone, portions of it were progressively closed and now only the portion from Termini to Centcelle is in service while the portion from Giardinetti to Pantano is being used by the Line C of the Metro.

[@nicolasblume1046]

1:28 having the main transit hub at the central station is pretty common in germany, for example in Hamburg, Munich, Nuremberg, Bochum

[@joermnyc]

Have you ever done a video on Sofia, Bulgaria? Back in 2018 they were replacing the ancient trams with a more modern system and expanding the Metro.

[@andrescgomezp]

Roma Termini, not "terminai"

[@fabianstudtmann9344]

I love Rome, its so beautiful, historic, and truly the heart of Italy, but at the current situation I could not live there. Its just so underserviced, buses full and late all the time, the metro doesnt go where you need and its questionable if it even arrives and in general Milan for me just is the better option😢

[@clankergaming6936]

Can you please do the Bucharest metro?

[@adamcheklat7387]

0:20: How about a metro system fit for a Caesar?

[@lukka_xx]

one thing: rome actually has 4 mil inhabitants

[@barryrobbins7694]

All those transit lines definitely don’t cover just the core city.

[@MuhammadYaSheikh]

You didn't need to know this but, I'll comment anyways. The Rome suburban train line consists of these following lines FL1: Orte - Fiumicino Aeroporto FL2: Roma Tiburtina - Tivoli FL3: Roma Tiburtina - Viterbo FL4: Roma Termini - Frascati or Albano Laziale/Velletri FL5: Roma Termini - Civitavecchia FL6: Roma Termini - Cassino FL7: Roma Termini - Minturno~Scauri FL8 (Formerly Known as Branch of Fl7) Roma Termini - Nettuno I lived along the FL8 line before and once near Roma Termini

[@said4075]

0:12 Rotterdam metro mentioned RAAAHHHH

[@Low760]

The buses were interesting in 2014, very basic iveco buses, compared with Australian buses.

[@Mimas2115]

I understand why you said it that way, but your pronunciation of Civitavecchia felt like personal insult (a more correct approximation would be Chee-vee-tuh-vek-kia) Also regarding the Metro, the Metro C's tunnel between the Colosseum and Piazza Venezia is taking so long that in the past 10 years a joke has emerged: 'Did you hear? They found the ruins of the C Line construction site while digging the C line!' The construction has gone on for so long that I have actually never seen the Colosseum and the Imperial Forum without vibration dampeners and construction equipment surrounding them EVER.

[@cityjetproductions]

the outer elevated section of Line C was originally built in the 1990s with metre gauge tracks for the interurban line, which ran on it until 2008 when it was cut back to the start of the elevated portion which was then converted to metro standards.

[@Astbaston]

Reece, you mentioned Melbourne's trams in the video about it's suburban rail, Could you do an explainer on that as I believe it is the largest network.

[@ianweniger6620]

Reece, please consider a video on metros with trains that use side-view mirrors?

[@tanner293]

if it wasn't for the massive archeological treasure hidden under Rome's soil probably the city would have managed to build at least the whole C line and probably the D, unfortunately it's not the case. Bty you have forgotten to mention the project to close the railway ring running around the city, which once finished could represent the turning point for creating a real circle line like the one in Berlin. There is gonna be a new tramway being built across a major avanue on the west of city connecting also line A, B and C from Ponte Mammolo to Subaugusta

[@MarcelosalivaTRENESArg]

Muy buen video Excelente estimado amigo Like un 🙋🏻‍♂️

[@AleFanelli]

I'm from Rome and I use public transportation every day (Metro B to be precise). The main problem we have is that Rome is the largest city in continental Europe (so not taking into consideration London or Moscow or Istanbul). It's vast. And the train options are not enough. Yes the A, B; C line do their work and the regional lines are not bad. But we need at least another 2/3 brand new lines and also to turn the existing lines like Metromare e Roma-Montebello into metro. Also we have a rail ring that could potentially be utilized for a circular line kind of service. Instead right now each regional lines partially uses a section of it. And we need to extend the ABC lines as much as possible towards the outskirts of the city since the hard work has been done in the center (where you find more archeological stuff and therefore you have a longer and more expensive constructrion process). And, considering how hard it is to build underground in the center, we need to get rid of cars and start bulding hundreds of kms of "cheap" tram lines. It really is not rocket science, but the car lobby in Rome is very powerful. With a all around terrible public tranportation system, people rely a lot on their cars and are not willing it to give them up for a slow bus or an undersized metro network. Anyway thank you for your video and the positive spin on things. I guess from the outside it doesn't look that bad but it really is.

[@giovannidambrosio4425]

Great video as always! Just saying that the unpleasant bus terminal in Roma termini is currently being rebuilt in time for next year jubilee.

[@skippyworld216]

Hey! Can you do maybe the Malaysia KTM railway? I was thinking that might be a fun vid since its kinda like an express train around Malaya.

[@TheOneCity1]

Pls do bangaluru metro ❤

[@MicheleSimeone]

you should do Naples!

[@silasxander]

Please make a video about the Gothenburg tram!

[@reinhardsterlika4480]

like your work. good job

[@MyNameIsAdam7]

Please do a Prague Metro Explainer video

[@FGH9G]

I was just in Rome in October and I absolutely loved it. But let me tell you, while I enjoyed the city's history, art, the food, and even the transit system, good God, the city can do SO MUCH better when it comes to the walkability aspect and pedestrian friendliness. Not to mention the really absurd and redundant ticket "validation" system that Italy's trains are notorious for.

[@diegopettini6101]

I suggest you to do a video about Genoa. A unique LPT system

[@grbadalamenti]

High speed train ticket between Rome in Milan is 30 euros for very few people, say you buy your ticket 6 months in advance very early (first train) or very late in the day (last train) on wednesdays or thursdays. Regular price is more on the 80ish euro side.

[@maxim_077]

Rome's public transport is hell, Milan's is heaven, but the railways are amazing all around Italy in my experience.

[@antonellogiannuzzi6609]

Rome does also have a tram network, wich used to cover massively the city before ww2

[@B2BWide]

And also operates some of the old PCC-style FIAT trams that are well beyond their 50 years of service :) Nevertheless I liked them. Nostalgia trip with normal ticket price :)

[@antaryjczyk]

You should do a video on Polish railways...maybe in Upper Silesian Metropolis and its Interurban system....one of the oldest and the largest in the world...yet not widely known outside of the region

Rome's transport seems to be improving continuously (although people might feel it should improve faster). The metro service has been vastly expanded since the last time I visited (before Line C opened, New Year's Eve 2013/14). Fingers crossed for the eternal city to keep up the positive trend! Quick note: A, B and C are, coincidentally, also the names of the metro lines in Prague, Czechia.

[@Frahamen]

It's not "Turminay" 😬

[@RMTransit]

Its hard to pronounce things the way locals do when you make videos about places around the world!

[@gabrielstravels]

A rather interesting video! 1:03 good on high speed rail yes, city public transport is okay but could be better but rural public transport is not great at all. Lots of large villages such as mine only served by school buses meaning that if you're not going to school, you have no choice but to drive. Next up I'd like to see you do a video of the public transport system in my Italian city: Naples. We have Europe's most beautiful metro station, but our public transport is otherwise just as unreliable as Rome (especially with the buses), if not even worse 2:11 we also have a passante, like Milan, but ours unfortunately is just basically an urban system with few hourly extensions to nearby cities such as Caserta or Salerno. Basically, our passante is unfortunately not what you'd see in Milan or in a DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) city 3:02 good ol' TAF (Treno ad altra frequentazione, ALe426/506). Slow acceleration but the train looks so futuristic both inside and out! 5:02 the trains used on the Metromare are the same as used on Metro lines A and B. Because of that, I always thought that the Metromare (or Roma Lido) should be integrated into the metro system and become part of a branch of line B. Unfortunately, with the Metromare no longer run by ATAC, doing such nowadays is wishful thinking

[@BrunoTorres1]

Sorry for being pedantic, but the city pictured at 0:13 - 0:16 is Nimes in France and not Rome.

[@gabrielstravels]

And 2:11 is Milan, not Rome

[@guyfaux3978]

The ghost of Mussolini wants to know, do all these trains run on time?

[@d1234as]

No, obviously

[@danielenuzzo9786]

@@guyfaux3978 I am a regular commuter, I take the Roma-Lido every day, and trust me, is NEVER, NEVER, on time! Line A is good, line B not so much, I took only twice Line C and in both cases it arrived late (but it can be a coincidence, you have to ask a regular commuter)

[@d1234as]

@@guyfaux3978 only when the ghost is upside down. On the other hand trains didn' t arrive on time even during fascism, but it couldn't say.

[@B2BWide]

Time is relative. In Rome (and in Italy) you have to adjust it to the train and not vice versa.

[@PartiallyGeorge]

'Civitavecchia' is pronounced as 'chee-vee-ta-'veck-kya'

[@janka_gramofonomanka]

9:49 When romans were around, the colloseum was a contemporary structure, so It wouldn't be such a big deal if they damaged it.

[@nicolasblume1046]

There's also the "Cintura Nord" project, which will complete the railway ring around the city

[@raymondmuench3266]

The comments highlight myriad ups and downs of Rome’s transit system. I lived there in the early ‘80’s and Line C was almost an unattainable dream given the archaeological delays. To hear that D, E, and F lines are planned, I can only say, “Buon divertimento,” to the planners and contractors. Auguri!

[@vievan2677]

Coll video. I'd like a Video about Viennas Tramway System too😍

[@silasmedvedev8019]

Yeah. But archeological discoveries underground are the main reason why Rome only has 3 lines despiste having 3M people living. Compare to the Madrid Metro and you will see that Rome is far behind with its 10 lines. Even Barcelona has more metro with its 8-7 lines

[@trainsandmore2319]

I do think the RCV should be connected to the MetroMare to allow people living north of Rome to get to the sea more easily without needing to go through multiple transfers…

[@Thommygun-qv7um]

Great video. I heard a few years back that the narrow gauge interurban will be shut down completely once line C is operational. I am happy to hear this plan has been killed off. Anyways, Rome also has some trolley buses. Would have been cool if you mentioned those...

[@urbanfile3861]

The narrow gauge train actually went further East. As far as current metro C terminal and behiond. That branch doesn't exist anymore, because of line C, and the service was limited inside GRA (Grande Raccordo Anulare), Rome's ring road. True that they even thought to shut it dowm completely, but fortunately that didn't happen.

[@GreenHornet553]

All rail lines lead to Rome? Maybe they will eventually. It's amazing though how Rome has such a varied network of trains, light rail, and trams. It's not as new as Turin's metro or as lengthy as Milan's, but it is certainly quirky in it's own cool way.

[@petrfedor1851]

You can't just use letters to mark your metro lines and have A be the first open.

[@loco4loco]

Back in my day we used horse

[@m4rch84]

just a hint not related to transit:Civitavecchia is pronounced as cheeveetavekkia, and Termini termeenee 😅

[@RMTransit]

Its hard to pronounce things the way locals do!

[@vatsalmaru]

you could make a video on mumbai local

[@J-Bahn]

5:25 why I am suddenly getting PATCO vibes in this station?

[@Titoroski187]

TermiNEE

[@Giustiziappenanata]

Thanks for the video. In Rome you need to take buses that goes in city centre