The press conference dedicated to the state of local public transport in Calabria was held this morning in the Green Hall of the regional Citadel in Catanzaro: an appointment aimed at taking stock of investments, results and prospects of the sector and presenting the new II level master’s degree of the Magna Graecia University STeMMS – Strategies, Technologies and Management for Sustainable Mobility, created in collaboration with the Region and Artcal. The conference was attended by, among others, the general director of the Department, Giuseppe Iritano, the director of Artcal, Tiziana Corallini, together with representatives of trade associations and local public transport companies.
Delays recovered
At the beginning, councilor Gianluca Gallo recalled the work started in recent months to strengthen a strategic sector for the lives of citizens: “We have intervened to make up for historic delays, reorganize the ordinary and give stability to a system that for too long has suffered from fragmentation and poor planning. In this year we have addressed issues that have remained unresolved for years and started a path that aims to truly modernize local public transport. The introduction of new trains, the arrival of new buses, the revision of services and the moratorium on tariff increases already foreseen in past years represents a concrete step towards a more modern, accessible and sustainable system.”
Looking to the future
Gallo added: “The investments are already producing results, as demonstrated by the doubling of passengers on regional trains, which went from 10,000 to 20,000 per day. But the challenge that awaits us is even broader: to build a Calabria that truly uses public transport, integrates road and rail, completes the infrastructural interventions and is prepared for the 2026 tender. We have the duty to claim greater resources and, at the same time, invite citizens to get on new, safe and sustainable means of transport, because the quality of life and the development of a territory also depends on the quality of its transport.”
New trains
The director of Trenitalia’s Calabria regional transport, Francesco Berardi, recalled the investments made as part of the service contract: “The 27 Pop and Blues trains already in circulation, made with recyclable materials and high-efficiency technologies, are raising the quality, accessibility and sustainability of the regional service”.
The commissioner of Artcal, Francesco Cribari, spoke on the governance of the system, highlighting the strategic value of the regional fleet: “The purchase of an additional 10 trains, financed by the Region, not only improves the quality of the service, but lightens the economic burden of the contract in a context of national resources that are not always adequate. Having a wealth of one’s own means guarantees continuity and greater development possibilities in view of future assignments, with trains that will remain permanently at the service of Calabrian citizens”.
Programming
The technical part was entrusted to the manager of the local public transport and sustainable mobility sector, Giuseppe Pavone, who illustrated the tools used for the new programming: from the regional mobility model based on integrated data (network, mobile telephony, on-board surveys, simulations) to the reconstruction of travel flows, up to the project scenarios linked to intermodality and the enhancements of the offer. Pavone also presented the results of the renewal of the bus fleet, the reduction in the average age of the vehicles and the interventions planned to improve connectivity, efficiency and quality of services.
The master
The university master’s degree was also presented during the initiative STeMMSpromoted by the Magna Graecia University in collaboration with the Region and Artcal, aimed at training new professionals in the public mobility sector. The director of the master, Anna L. Melania Sia, illustrated the advanced training course, explaining: “The master was created to respond to the new needs that the environmental and technological transition places on mobility systems. Talking about local public transport today means addressing a strategic dimension for the quality of life and the development of territories. The STeMMS course creates a bridge between advanced university training and operational management of services, offering multidisciplinary preparation that integrates legal, economic, technological and management skills”.