Rome's city council handed over building sites for four new Metro C stations on Wednesday, kicking off an extension that will add seven kilometres of track to the city's newest underground line.
Mayor Roberto Gualtieri announced the start of works at a press conference at Campidoglio, Rome's city hall.
"It's been a very extensive project, but we're finally getting started," he said, confirming that excavation was scheduled to begin on Wednesday February 25th.
The four stations — Chiesa Nuova, Piazza Pia, Ottaviano and Mazzini — extend the driverless line north-west from its current terminus near Piazza Venezia.
Ottaviano will serve as an interchange with Metro A, giving the line its second connection point with the rest of the network.
Two of the stations, Chiesa Nuova and Piazza Pia, are classed as "archaeological" stations because of the sensitivity of the ground beneath them, meaning these are the most likely to turn up ancient artefacts during excavation work.
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Piazza Pia will sit under the gardens of Castel Sant'Angelo, around 48 metres below street level and some 25 metres below the bed of the Tiber.
Two further stations — Auditorium and Farnesina — are due to follow, with construction set to start by July 2026 once another phase of the project is approved.
The city has set a target of finishing all six by 2036, a year ahead of the official 2037 deadline.
The works were to be carried out by construction groups Webuild and Vianini Lavori at a total cost of over €3 billion, according to the Rome city council.
Once complete, Metro C will have 31 stations in total, up from 25 today after the Colosseum and Porta Metronia stations opened in December.
What disruption should you expect?
Building work will cause road closures and traffic changes at each of the four sites. According to city hall, the main ones to know about are:
At Chiesa Nuova on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, Via Cerri will close and access to Vicolo del Governo Vecchio will be temporarily blocked. The bus stop at Piazza della Chiesa Nuova towards Lungotevere will be removed.
At Ottaviano, Via Barletta will be reduced to a single central lane between Viale delle Milizie and Viale Giulio Cesare. Bus stops on the street will be suspended and routes diverted.
At Piazza Pia, access to the Castel Sant'Angelo gardens from Lungotevere Castello will be closed.
At Mazzini, traffic on Viale Mazzini will be reduced to one lane in each direction, and Via Bazzoni will become one-way.
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