A City That Builds Metros Like No Other | Milan Metro 

Being an Italian living in the center of Milan since many generations, it’s really cool seeing foreigners admire our city for things we give for granted or uninteresting.

The tram system is also *amazing*, I took it when I was there a few months ago and there were trams coming along every 3-4 minutes and it was actually faster than driving for many trips

Something I really love about this system is how the trains and stations feature color accents that match the colors of the line. I think that really enhances the line's identity and provides a consistent visual cue. It's also a good component of branding, which I believe to be really important.

I moved to Milan 5 years ago. I had been planning to buy a bike to get around, as that's what I'd been using in Minneapolis where I lived previously, but I didn't get around to it until about a month after I arrived in Milan-at which point I realized I had no need for a bike, since between the S lines, metro, trams, and buses it was a piece of cake to get anywhere in the city. Really top-notch video, very much enjoyed this perspective.

I live near Milan (roughly 45 kms) and when I have to go there I almost always park the car at Cascina Gobba (an M2 stop with a huge parking exchange) and take the metro from there, as driving in Milan during the day can be a pain in the ass. Milan is one of the few cities where I truly enjoy public transport

And last but not least, from Milano Centrale you can travel to Paris with Trenitalia's Frecciarossa 1000 and from Porta Garibaldi with the TGV. A very new(Dec 2021) connection; did used it myself and it is such a super adventure on rail. I can recommend it to everyone.

Yeah! I'm so happy you did Milan. I didn't see it coming 😁 I have to say I'm impressed about the accuracy, over all on some little details which are not usually known, such as the interconnection between M2 and M5 and the lack of depot for the latter Good job. As always, but this time I can say that with full knowledge of the facts 😊

As someone from Hong Kong, with all the associated mass transit experience from home, I must say Milan’s system is the one I like best when I’m not in my home town. From the trains, underground system to the trams… Bravo.

Technically the Copenhagen metro is operated by Milan Metro aswell.

great video! ive been to milan recently and used all of the lines of the metro with the exception of m3. i must say i love the Hitachi trains on the m5 line, they feel very modern. i also really like the fact that the stations are all decorated with the colors of the line they serve, it really helps and is quite eye pleasing

long awated. most underrated metro in the world

I visited Milan last autumn from Switzerland for a day trip and we actually seen a lot of the city thanks the metro

I can't wait for the metro to Monza. As a F1 fan and Monza being one of my favorite race tracks ever, being able to go there on the metro will be awesome

Went there only weeks ago the metro is fantastic and when you ride at the front of the m5 you can see how amazing and open the tunnels are. The tram system is also amazing with old and new trams!

I live in Italy and whenever I go to Milan I'm really amazed by its transit system. The metro lines are great and well connected to the train stations, the trams and buses have been designed to easily and quickly connect to major metro stations. Also the city is investing a lot in bike infrastructure. I really enjoy moving around Milan

One of things that surprised me the most in Milan is that every time we had to drive, most of the route was along the construction for the ME metro, meaning once it opens, those are all convenient transit trips

I live in Milan, not even in the center, and like many others I don't own a car. Public transport is cheap and ridiculously efficient and fast. I've always given it for granted and never really knew most of what you said in this video, so thanks!

Also, Milan's metro featured for the first time the revolutionary signage designed by Bob Noorda which would later inspire the iconic New York Subway visual language

The most awkward part of the whole plan is the absence of an interchange between M3 and M4. There have been talks to eventually building a connecting corridor between Policlinico and Croccetta but I am not aware as to whether this is going to happen. The twists and turns of M5 are also incredibly hard to explain, it could have been a much straighter line. However, despite all that, the public transport system in Milan is extremely useful and allows moving around the city most freely.

The Metro called as "La Metro" by the citizens of Milan Is the real backbone for the workers in the city. Everyone from simple worker to rich lawyers and people who work in the financial sector use It from the morning to the evening. You can spot any sort of Milanese on the Metro.

Hey Reece, have you considered doing a video on Milan's incredible tram network? In addition to using the oldest active trams in Europe (the 1928 Peter Witts, or Ventotto), it also operates the very unique Sirio and Sirietto low floor trams and refurbished Junbotrams from 1976. More importantly, the tramway network reaches every corner of the city, and has very frequent service. And it's incredibly well used. Peter Ehrlich (tramway historian and former San Francisco Muni motorman)

Side note: Milan’s transit company (ATM) manages the Copenhagen metro as well

I liked visiting Milan. Nice clean city and easy to get around.

I’ve rarely taken M5, but M1, M2 and M3 all hold happy memories. I use the M1 the most, going to Porta Venezia (the nicest part of the city), but M3 will always be my favourite, the yellow ceilings still look fresh.

Living near Milan (Monza) we never had a metro line and i am so excited to get one (in 2030). I appreciate the "finaly" on the m4 project that's now opening the first 3 stations with 15 months of delay. it would be nice talkin about suburban lines in milan and their huge problems, and i will be happy to help you out. And remember, in Milan the metro is not just called M1, M2, M3 and M5; you will hear more talking of La rossa, La Verde, La Gialla and La Lilla, respectively, m1, m2, m3, m4, m5. I'm glad you finally brought this video up after I asked you.

RM Transit: "Look at this amazing metro in Milan!" Me: *cries in American*

While Milan wasn’t my favorite city to visit as a tourist due to its fewer historic sites (compared to the rest of Italy) the city’s metro and great layout definitely made it my #1 spot if I ever wanted to live in Italy!

I will visit Milan next week. Excited to take a trip on the metro and explore the city

This city is awesome in every way.

Very good and well informed video. However, speaking of building metros like no other city, I’m surprised you didn’t mention superposed tunnels. This technique was first experimented with in the late 70s-early 80s at the S. Agostino station along M2, where the two platforms lie on top of each other. Subsequently, it was used massively for line M3, where the two tracks lie in superposed tunnels all along the central section. This allowed to save space under the narrow street of the medieval centre, preventing the tunnels from running beneath buildings. A similar technique has been used for the central section of M4. As far as I’m aware, Milan was the first city in Europe to use such a technique.

3:00 another point of interest in the city which is worth mentioning is the Milano-Rho exposition center, which host some of the most important exposition in Europe, and near there is also the area where the Milan EXPO 2015 park was situated

And Milan has also trolleybus circle around all the central area with dedicated flyovers to segregate trolleybuses from traffic

I was in Milan last week wondering if RM would make a video about Milan’s metro system and here we are.

My favorite metro system :D

I live near Milan and I take the metro every day to get to school. It's very fun and interesting discovering things I didn't know about something I use every day. Anyway I have to say that as a train system it is very efficient, cause it cover quite all the city and trains pass on the station every 3-4 minutes. Good video, precise and interesting👍

happy to see a video about Milan. Italy is slowly going through a revival of public transit with trams and BRT projects being built across the country.

A couple of things from a Milan resident: The airports: Linate is very unique as a city airport being that is very old and with the M4 connection it will become the best linked and quickest access city airport in Europe. Also Malpensa is not a global hub for passenger, but it's a quite key hub for freight. Finally, Orio al Serio is quite a key airport because it's gigant airline Ryanair biggest base in continental Europe. M3 is very odd for a line, perahps resembling the Moscow metro, in being quite "monumental" with lots of marble and fancy architecture incorporated in the stations. This was actually quite controversial since the line was build for the 1990 football world cup (lots of delays) and was involved in the massive corruption scheme "Tangentopoli" which engulfed Italy in the early 90s. The line also features a somewhat insufficient lighting, resulting in sort of a weird gloomy and shady atmosphere in the stations. Also the trams are absolutely unique, there's tons of historic units still going strong in the fleet and various special cars such as a couple of Restaurant ones (yes you can book and have a high end dinner on a vintage tram touring the city) and various events/party ones, even one set up for school trips.

A lot of my family live in Milan so I visit very often and can say that it’s a joy to travel around. The metro and trams are fast, frequent, and clean. The trams allow lovely views of the city and are a mixture of modern and historic cars. The fact the city isn’t overwhelmingly large makes it even better (London I’m looking at you!)

I love Milán ❤️❤️❤️ by far the best city in Italy

I'm from Milan and this video is amazingly accurate. Well done!

So glad you covered Milan; I've been hoping you would!

Was just in Milan this past summer- very convenient and frequent. It helps that most of the core city is very walkable as well. One thing I will say is their ticketing system is one of the slowest I have ever encountered- so I guess it all balances out. In Milan, where they are able to build lines and stations right beside 800 year old cathedrals I don’t understand why we make it so difficult and slow to just tunnel through suburbia in and around Toronto, it’s purely human obstacles.

Outstanding job thank you. I’m from Milan and I actually learnt new things. Thank you

Amazing video, i love milan and it seems that nobody talks properly about it, it's good to see these things.

IVE BEEN WAITING THANK YOU

Man I love this type of content about my city. Thank you from Milan!! 🤙🏾

Please a video about Brescia metro (the second smallest city worldwide to have a metro, with barely 200k people). It’s also building a tramway system.

Nice to see Milano featured. I live in Torino and I am a regular visitor to Milano for various business reasons. I have ridden M1, M2 and M3 and rather like them. Having AC equipped walkthrough trains is nice and I hope it's something Torino thinks about when they get around to building the second line (currently Torino has one Metro line, M1 which uses the VAL system). I sometimes take the bus to Miliano and it's rather nice that the intercity bus terminal is located on M1. This is something Torino should think about as well.

i wanna go to Italy and ride every type of train

I’m so happy to talked about Milan cuz i live here and i love my city❤️ very well done❤️

Thank you for this. In early June of this year I visited Milan and rode all 4 lines and saw work on the M4 and found it super easy to use. I stayed in the Loreto area, so I could get the M1 or M2. Best of all, if you just need a single ticket, nearby newsstands/convenience store can sell you one. I covered a huge amount of ground by purchasing a 3-day all zone pass - paid for itself the first day. The only flaw is that the front of Garibaldi station is kind of grubby and dumpy when compared to the shiny new complexes around it. I came into Milan to Milano Centrale from Venice and left from there to go to Zurich. Note - San Siro has a big fan shop that has both AC Milan and Inter Milan stuff.

Yess finally, I’ve been waiting for this video for roughly a year, and the wait paid off.

To be fair the actual number of lines operating in the "Passante" is not 6, despite what maps says, but either 4 or 5, since lines S1, S5, S6, S13 always operates, line S2 only operates Monday to Friday and not after 21 or in August, line S12 was added before the pandemic with just 4 trains (1 train running back and forth twice) but was suspended with the pandemic and never resumed.

FINALLY!! I was waiting for my hometown to be featured, cuz it’s great

Great video! I live 35 km south of Milan and I use Suburban train to go to Milan quite often with S13 suburban train. One nitpick: you saw that the M3 did a right turn at the south end? That because in the 90s it was supposed to go straight to Linate. When the project was revealed the taxi drivers rioted and was able to block the project.

beautiful video, I would have talked about an interesting curiosity. The Milan metro won the Compasso d'Oro award in 1964 for its visual design. (Compasso d'oro is like one of the most prestigious design award). being Milan the capital of design, I would have mentioned it. Great video btw👍🏼👍🏼

One limitation of the Milan metro is the fact that it does not remain open over night during the weekend, thus hindering movement from relative early hours (11pm, if I am not mistaken). Other major European cities do offer at least sporadic, yet useful night trains over the weekend, even when their size compared to the Milan metropolitan area would make it easier to walk or cycle home (I am thinking here about Vienna, where I reside).

Thank you for this amazing video, i have been hoping you would have covered Milan for so long. The timing it came out is quite funny tough, as the s-lines tunnel has been closed for over a month now due to excessive wear on wheels caused by a portion of track

I really enjoy taking public transport in Milan! Besides some problems I think they are an excellent way of moving around. It's a blessing for someone who really doesn't wanna drive a car in the busy streets if Milan

What a great video thanks!

thank you ! a very timely video on Milan, as we will be there in late Aug, train from Ravenna to Firenze to Pisa to Monterosso, Genoa, Pavia and Milan. Milan for several days then onto Swiss Rail for 7 days

Very interesting network, it really proves how a combination of different networks work together to allow trips of all different types. I would love to hear your take on Mi Teleferico, where instead of supplementing, gondolas form the backbone of the transit network.

I noticed that you left out a few details about the metro's expansion. Some are still in the early stages but others are already being built or are about to be Line 2 has one confirmed project, being a 10 km Northeast extension from Cologno Nord to Vimercate serving the Milanese Hinterland. If all goes to plan it should be open by 2028. Moreover, a couple more extension projects are being analyzed but they're in the very early stages (Gessate to Trezzo and Assago Forum to Binasco). Line 3 is set to get a 15 km extension from its Southeastern terminus of San Donato (also a bus station) to Paullo. Construction is set to begin in a year from now. Like part of Line 2, some of this extension could run above ground. Line 4 is a curious case. Like you said, it will partially open in a month from now, and the whole line will be fully operational in the second half of 2024. And despite not being open yet, extensions are being planned, with a proposed 2,5 km route from Linate airport to Segrate in the Northeast. The line will connect an amusement park (Idroscalo) and the train station in Segrate. For the latter there are proposals to build/expand the train station to accommodate high-speed trains (like Reggio Emilia's high-speed station) given that the future high-speed line between Milan and Venice will pass through this area. Line 5 has another extension in the works but it's in a very early stage. The proposal is to extend from its western terminus in San Siro and go all the way to Settimo Milanese, and in a second phase to Magenta. This would add an extra 19 km to the line. Here's a bonus: for years a Line 6 has been proposed, but the itinerary has been subject to changes and nothing has ever moved until a few months ago. The first proposed routes would have connected the Northwest of Milan with the Southeast and running through the city center, creating interchanges in lines 1, 2 and 3 along the way. However, in April this year a feasibility study for the line was announced but for a different route (going from Ponte Lambro in the Southeast to Barona in the Southwest). If the line ever gets built, Milan would have completed a sort of circle line (of both metro and suburban rail). And according to Milan's mayor, Beppe Sala, this would be last metro line for the city.

Fantastic video, thank you!

I live outside of Milan, near Como, in a little village outside everything, but still we have a little station that helps us to connect almost everywhere from como to Milan. I love it

I am from milan and i didnt know we were getting a new line and all those expansions!!! Hahahahah great video, super accurate too!

I live near Milan and while I have only used the subway a couple of times I had a wonderful impression. Trains are well kept and so frequent you don't have to look at a schedule, the only flaw is that at rush hour trains are so full you may miss them for lack of room. I think they need more service at that time of the day.

as a student living in milan this was a really nice video but you forgot to mention some little things, like the lambrate station, wich is rather large and also point of intersection between M2 and S-lines trains. You could also mention the plans for the "newer, not already built" M6 line that should be ready for the 2026 olympics

Finally!!! Thank you!

I remember loving hearing the pre-recorded announcer say the next stop in both Italian and English. The Italian accept is THAT beautiful! Or maybe I'm weird. 😛

As a Milanese, the thing I'm most proud of in Milano is the metro

been waiting for this episode!

There are few more things worth to mention: - ATM is managing the subways, bus and tram and I'm very proud of their care and work. The S line is managed by Trenord and most of the users complain about their poor service. - M1 train powering system is allowing the trains to have a very high frequency. Sometimes the next train is just waiting few meters behind the one stopped in the station. - M1 and M2 are interconnected and M1 trains can travel on the M2 line (for maintenance reasons and at lower speed) using a small pantograph. M1 trains are taking the power from the tracks and M2 from the wires on the top. - The Leonardo trains are having an emergency brake system that is able to stop the trains automatically if there are obstacles on the track. This system malfunctioned some time ago and the trains were suddenly stopping without reason. For this reason is better to hold tight to the rails while traveling on the train. :D - Each bus/tram/trolleybus is equipped with an onboard computer which is able to keep track of the position, send distress calls just pressing a button or simply handle the driver turnover. This system is communicating using a digital cellular like radio network. - The technique to build the tunnels has been used later to build skyscrapers around the world. The S lines, at this time (August 2022), are not working, almost all the trains are out service because the tracks are damaging the train wheels (at least this is the explanation Trenord is giving to the users). The service is expected to be resumed later this year.

Thank you for sharing my beautiful city

I just came back from Milan. The metro lines are easy to use, and cut travel time considerably. Cheap too, if you take a 3 day pass for only €12.

I was in Milan when this video came out, how convenient!

A fantastic city!

Great video!

Please make a video about the Naples Metro one day. It's my favourite metro system in the whole of Italy with beautiful stations (Toledo won the award for being the best in Europe!), it's also being expanded (albeit slowly) with an extension to the airport, and a new fully automated line too!

Finally, I've been waiting for a long time for this video! You praise it's fast growing speed but unfortunately, past the current projects there won't be much growth. Talks about an M6 have been ongoing now for 15 years, with a possible feasibility study still a long way to go, and after that the current mayor has said that "Milan won't need any more lines". So we're lucky if we'll get a new line in the next 20 years and who knows after that.

Can't wait to hear about Zürich S-Bahn 👀.

Since Saturday 5th July 1997, I have enjoyed riding the Milan metro whenever I visited. I liked the most recently built line M3 as well as the Passante suburban rail system, not so much the older M1 or M2, but that changed over the years.

Great video

Ah! I was wondering if you would dedicate a video to my homecity! Thoroughly well researched and informative video :) there is currently an ongoing discussion about M6 which should run north-west to south-east, although no plans have been firmed up yet and initially it might just be renaming and making automous the tiny south-west branch of M2. M2 itself was mostly famous during its construction for connecting most of the railway stations across Milan: in addition to Centrale, Porta Garibaldi and Cadorna, north-eastern Lambrate and south-western Porta Genova are linked.

I’ve spent a significant part of my life inside the Milan metro

The extension to Linate will be opening next month! Too bad it wasn’t ready when I flew into there in 2019. I love those driverless trains! I was staying near the San Siro, that Tre Torri mall area is very cool as well

I highly recommend reading the London Reconnection's 2-part series Milan. It is a very nice read for English-speakers on the history of the trams, the construction of the subway, and the creation of the Passantino and Passante Ferroviario tunnels that allow for regional rail through-running.

I live in Milan now. One thing you did not mentioned is the fantastic troleybus lines which makes travelling in the city even more convenient. Nowadays I see more and more of the electric busses and hydrogen ones, and on top of that you have something called bus taxi (I have no idea how it works, but apparently you can call them and they will provide a service when needed). Only one thing which is missing in Milan is the bike infrastructure. The city is rather flat, and gave gigantic roads, which would be perfect to convert into the bike lines.

Great video Reece! Sadly at the moment Milan and Lumbardy are facing serious issues with trains, despite regional trains in Italy flourishing again the region that needs them the most - Lumbardy - is just struggling. They did a local rail company, Trenord, which simply sucks, probably because it has just been riddled with incompetent politicians from the area. The result is that rail commutes are going down and car commutes are going up, in a region already struggling with traffic and pollution. They also don’t let sales and offers from Trenitalia on Trenord trains, actually cutting in half northern Italy regional transport.

Another great video. Thanks. Oh, was at the Halton County Radial Railway today and, while a transportation system per se, is a great showcase of Ontario's electrified transit. Maybe worth a visit and video. :)

The M5 to San Siro was planned to use UTDC MK I rolling stock similar to the Vancouver SkyTrain and Scarborough RT, although with no end doors on the cars. However, the contract fell through, and the cars are now the 500-600 series, introduced in 1991 shortly after the extension to Scott Road Station, and still running on the Expo Line in Vancouver.

As an Italian I'm happy that AT LEAST the metro works really well, for sure better than London's.

M2 also connects another major train station for the city, which is Milano Porta Genova, from there there are trains connecting the west and south west part of the region

The line 4 Is officially open! 🎉🎉

Great video, I love Milan because you can move around easily with trains,metros and Trams, the sistem is very efficient,but a substancial problem is the schedule. After Midnight there is rarely a Transport and some like trains or metros are closed, so if you want to have fun at night you can't count on the Transports to take you back home. That was not a Problem that I had in Bilbao,a city in Spain that during some periods of time (I Remember during Summer) continues with metros even after Midnight. It would be nice if you explained also that city

i love how Italian metro trains look, do they share the same standard? (Rome, Milan, Naples)

Porta Venezia is the name of the area above the station: the old doors of the city, named after the direction they were going towards, in this case, Venice. Porta Garibaldi and Porta Genova are just railway stations, that have been, in modern times, called according to the ancient tradition. Though obviously Garibaldi isn't a place.

Fantastic video as usual. Could Turin be the next city?

The M5 maintenance depot and practices remind me a lot of the Toei Oedo Line in Tokyo, which also does heavy maintenance at an off-site depot by having trains towed there. 🤔 I wonder how many cities can look at this maintenance option for shorter new lines, as even differences in power and propulsion technology are clearly not a barrier up to a certain point.

As an Italian who lives just in Milan one thing that the city could make is a slightly more frequent bus connection on various lines in the northwest. Great video though 👌🏻