SCANDICCI, July 02, 2025 – Starting from July 7, 2025, for approximately two months, Line T1 will be interrupted due to track replacement work on the curve between Viale Rosselli and Via Iacopo da Diacceto. A replacement bus service operated by Autolinee Toscane will be available from the “Leopolda T1 Porta al Prato” stop to the “Sostitutivo Alamanni” stop.

Line T1 will operate from “Villa Costanza” to “Porta al Prato – Leopolda” and vice versa, and from “Unità” to “Careggi” and vice versa. Line T2 will run regularly and will not be affected by the interruption.

The replacement of worn tracks will shorten travel times on Line T1.

The construction site will cover approximately 40 meters and will not affect vehicular traffic in either direction. The work will be carried out by Ing. De Aloe Costruzioni of Brescia, under the technical supervision of GEST’s Maintenance Department and the Work Management/Safety Coordination of Engineer Maurizio Falzea. The project will be fully funded by GEST.

“A complex system like the tramway, which transports 160,000 people daily, requires constant maintenance both on the trams and the line, with daily interventions that usually go unnoticed and do not affect service. However, sometimes the work is more impactful, as in the case of the Iacopo da Diacceto curve,” said GEST CEO Denis Ratto. “This is a complex job, and we are aware it will cause some inconvenience, but it is necessary to keep our tramway efficient and healthy.”

GEST’s technical teams carry out dozens of interventions daily as part of scheduled ordinary and extraordinary maintenance cycles, planned months in advance, following a logic of inspection, prevention, and control to ensure a safe and reliable tramway. Within this framework of constant monitoring, more complex works are planned, often with the support of external companies assisted by GEST, after thorough technical and economic evaluations, as in the case of the Diacceto curve.

Similar interruptions have occurred before for other reasons, such as in 2012, when the stops Resistenza, De André, and Villa Costanza were closed for a month for the construction of the Richard Rogers city center in Scandicci, and more recently in 2016, for the consolidation of the Foggini underpass wall, which lasted three months and involved replacement service for the Batoni and Arcipressi stops.

Project Details
A portion of the curve will be cut to replace about 160 meters of rail over a stretch of approximately 40 meters. The most impactful part of the work will be the removal of civil works, including the removal of porphyry paving, cutting of the switch, construction of the slab, and installation of new rails with a new geometry that includes entry and exit clothoids to reduce wear. Every road element, from porphyry to drains, will be dismantled and reinstalled properly, restoring the curve to its original state.

History of the Iacopo da Diacceto Curve
The curve has had issues since 2010, as it was originally designed as a switch towards the Viale Strozzi underpass. After the approval of the Vacs Lot I and II variant, the switch was no longer needed, and the switch blade was welded to the frame, creating a curve with a peculiar geometry lacking a clothoid (a curve with variable radius used in tram and railway lines), which led to increased rail wear—though without safety concerns. The metal mass of the rail wears out faster than normal. After several temporary but insufficient interventions, a definitive solution became necessary.

This project is certainly demanding and not short-term, but absolutely essential to ensure faster and more comfortable travel to and from the heart of Florence.

USEFUL INFORMATION
Replacement buses by Autolinee Toscane will operate between Porta al Prato and Alamanni stops on a short route:

• From LEOPOLDA T1 PORTA AL PRATO (FI5751 – terminus): Viale Rosselli, Il Prato, Via di Santa Lucia, Via degli Orti Oricellari, Via Alamanni (SOSTITUTIVO STAZIONE T1 stop).
• From SOSTITUTIVO STAZIONE T1 stop: Via Santa Caterina da Siena, Via della Scala, Piazzale di Porta al Prato, Viale Rosselli, right into Piazza Vittorio Veneto, reserved lane on overpass, Piazza Vittorio Veneto, LEOPOLDA T1 PORTA AL PRATO (FI5751 – terminus).

The replacement bus stops are located near the tram stops: LEOPOLDA T1 PORTA AL PRATO is the terminus for lines C2 and C3 at number 8 Viale Fratelli Rosselli; ALAMANNI is at number 3/A Via Alamanni.

Replacement buses will run approximately every 5–6 minutes from the start of service until 8:00 PM and every 8–10 minutes from 8:00 PM until the end of service. However, passengers should expect longer travel times compared to the usual 40 minutes from Villa Costanza to Careggi on T1, due to the different capacities of trams (270 passengers) and buses (100 passengers), which may require waiting for more than one bus before continuing the journey.

Travel Routes Between Stops

• From Porta al Prato to Careggi: After arriving at Alamanni by bus, if heading to stops beyond Valfonda, take T2 towards San Marco–University at Alamanni, get off at Valfonda, and continue on T1. Alternatively, walk to VALFONDA STAZIONE on the other side of Santa Maria Novella station.
• From Careggi to Villa Costanza: Get off at Valfonda, walk to Via Alamanni on the other side of the train station, and head to the replacement bus stop. Alternatively, from VALFONDA STAZIONE, take T2 towards Peretola Airport to ALAMANNI STAZIONE.