IF articles

Summary - In the last years, two new tramlines have been designed in the network of mass transit system in Florence. The planned lines will be in service in 2018 and they will serve the Northern part of the city. The work examines and compares two engineered solutions to improve the public transport service in the Northern and central areas of Flo- rence: the former is more conservative, the latter more in- novative. The alternatives facilitate the integration between the bus and tram network, reducing the traffic flow in strategical areas of public interest, such as railway stations or public offices areas. For each proposed scenario, the study consists of analysing the transport feasibility and fi- nancial viability. Specific transportation tools allowed eval- uating the technical and functional characteristics of the proposed scenarios, while the economic impact is assessed using data provided by the consortium, which currently manages the public transport in the city. The results of this study suggest the more innovative solution as the best one, from both the transportation and economic points of view, because it guarantees an overall improvement of the ser- vice.