Metro Line 6 The current state (July 2005) of the new Mostra station of Line 6.  (This Metro line should be called 666 and not
simply 6,
since they've had the Devil's own time building it.) In any event, two
things did NOT happen in Naples in
1990. One: the World Cup soccer matches were played in Italy that year,
but Italy did NOT win
their semi-final match against Argentina in the Naples stadium of San
Paolo. There were mixed feelings
among Neapolitans about that; Naples star and beloved poster boy,
Diego Maradona, was
unfortunately playing on his national team, Argentina, for the World
Cup matches. Neapolitans loved
him, but he helped beat Italy.Two: In spite of renovating the San Paolo stadium to conform to international standards, the city of Naples never quite finished the "other project"—the train line known as the Rapid Tram Line, supposed to have been finished in time for those matches played in Naples. It was abandoned, producing one of the juiciest corruption scandals in years in Naples. The general consensus— expressed pithily by the Man on the Street—was, "The bastards ate the money."  Using much of the tunnel
and station space
completed 15 years ago, the
Line 6 will go from the Mostra d'Oltremare (Overseas Fair Grounds) in
the western part of
Naples called Fuorigrotta to Piazza Municipio in the downtown area,
adjacent to the port of Naples.
The station at the Fair
Grounds will also connect to a one-stop shuttle train to the new campus
of the University of Naples at Monte Sant'Angleo as well as to the
nearby station of Fuorigrotta;
that station is a major stop on the state railway line leading to Rome
and also a stop on the older
Naples Metro that runs all the way to the main train station downtown.
The station at the port of
Naples will connect to the new Metro lines 1 and 2, which will then be
up and running all the way
through town and (keep your fingers crossed) maybe even up to the
airport at Capodichino. In short,
you will then be able to get anywhere from anywhere—by underground
train. After the initial station at the Mostra, Line 6 will stop twice beneath the main thoroughfare, viale Augusto, on its way east into the city. It then tunnels beneath the Posillipo hill and stops at the other side at the Mergellina station (I know, I know—"You leave the Mergellina station 'bout a quarter- to-four." I've heard'em all). It stops again further east at the beginning of the Villa Comunale, the long public park along the seaside, once more in the middle of the park, then swings in and makes two more stops on the way to the end of the line at Piazza Municipio. Predictions call for the stations up to and including the first stop at the Villa Comunale to be open "in 2006". (Between patted backs and crossed fingers, I am getting sore just thinking about it.) (For 2007 update, click here.) (For a 2008 update, here.) further entries on the metropolitana (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6-this page) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) to main index to portal for urban planning |