Genoa, 15 April 2024 – The revolutionary integrated mobility plan, to fast-track connections between Genova City Airport, the railway network and the Passenger Ports of Genoa and Savona, was unveiled today at the Port Authority headquarters of Palazzo San Giorgio. The new hub is designed to intercept and integrate the multiple modes of transport used by the cruise passengers embarking from Liguria to access the terminals, with the added objective of activating a seamless sustainable mobility system with minimal environmental impact on the city-ports.
To meet the challenges posed by the need to provide smooth transitions for the million of passengers who travel by land, by sea and by air to reach the port and the city centre of the Ligurian capital and Savona, the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport coordinates the recently established Genova City Airport Steering Committee, composed of the Liguria Region, City of Genoa, Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority, Airport of Genova, ENAC, Stazioni Marittime Genova, Trenitalia, RFI and Costa Crociere. The multiple projects underway, which form part of the overall review of the extensive wide-ranging passenger transport services, have been grouped together under a single integrated mobility plan, with rail placed at the heart of the new system of multimodal services. The mobility hub is designed to offer fast easy connections aimed at encouraging passengers to use public transport, above all rail, thereby reducing the environmental impact and urban congestion in the cities. The new infrastructure facility will be bolstered by a range of back-up services at the airport, namely, a multimodal park&ride and direct cabin luggage delivery services for cruise passengers.
The first phase of the roadmap towards the establishment of the overall integrated mobility scheme is the signing of the Agreement for the implementation of the project and construction of the Moving Walkway between Genova City Airport and the future Erzelli/Airport railway station: a 600-metre skywalk, equipped with two tapis-roulants, which connects directly with the airport terminal building, at an estimated cost of 29 million euros, commissioned by the City of Genoa.
The second phase calls for the construction of a similar facility, 300 metres in length, linking the Port of Genoa’s cruise terminals directly with Porta Principe railway station, designed to upgrade the current overground and underground connection, and to remove all existing physical barriers across the construction of a new high-capacity lift. The reviewed walkway will assist both homeport and transit passengers accessing the city centre and the cruise terminal quayside.
The third phase foresees the implementation of a feasibility plan to build a direct rail link between the Port of Savona’s Palacrociere terminals and the new railway station. In this case, the set of freight rail tracks, located alongside the former headquarters of the Port Authority, will be optioned as the site for the construction of the new maritime rail station, equipped with a moving walkway connected directly to the cruise terminals.
The Signing Ceremony of the Agreement was presided over by the Vice Minister Edoardo Rixi, the Government Commissioner of the Port Authority Paolo Piacenza, the President of the Liguria Region Giovanni Toti, the Mayor of Genoa Marco Bucci, the President of the Airport Alfonso Lavarello, the President of ENAC Pierluigi Umberto Di Palma and the Vice Director General Operations of RFI Vincenzo Macello.
