Napoli. ” As we approach September, when the last extension granted by USTIF, the special office for fixed-system transport, expires, the fourth in chronological order, for the twenty-year overhaul to be carried out on the Chiaia funicular, an overhaul that should have been done in 2017, there is growing concern that the important public transport system, which, on weekdays, is used on average by around 15 people, could remain closed for a long time.”
Giving voice once again to the many, many workers and students who use the rail transport service in Naples for their travel is Gennaro New Year, president of the Committee for Hill Values and Public Transport, former president of the Vomero district.
"There had been rumors, in recent days, of a request for a new extension, the fifth in chronological order, after the tender for the awarding of the works for the extraordinary maintenance of the plant had gone deserted – underlines Capodanno -.
But from many quarters, also in the light of recent events involving cableways at a national level, there have been many doubts about the possibility that USTIF will grant this new extension, to allow a new tender to be held, the call for which, for a sum of just over seven million euros, was launched only recently.
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Certainly the office in question will only make a decision after having carried out all the necessary checks to ensure, even during the period of this possible further extension, that the system can function, guaranteeing full and total safety for travellers, also taking into account the frequent sudden stoppages due to faults which have often, even in recent days, characterised the operation of the Chiaia funicular during the extensions already granted".
"Moreover - he points out New Year -, from the news leaked so far on the matter, the time needed to complete the new tender and assign the works could reach up to six months, if all goes well, while the duration of the works is expected to be a further six months. Therefore, if the extension is not granted, there would be a risk of a stoppage of at least a year, with serious consequent inconveniences for regular travellers. These are not new events, given that they have already been experienced during the twenty-year revision works of the Central Funicular system, which remained closed for over a year, and which we hope will not be repeated ".
” In the meantime – Capodanno recalls on this occasion – the issue, raised several times, of the extension of operating hours, starting next September, when all activities will resume, remains unresolved. In this regard, in order to restore, for public transport on rail, the timetable in force before the pandemic, with the extension of the hours for the funiculars of Chiaia and Centrale, as well as the hill metro, until midnight, and, on Friday and Saturday, until two in the morning, an online petition was also promoted, which has exceeded 24 signatures, without however there having been any operational responses to date, given that the two funiculars in question have continued to make the last trip at 00:3.000 pm “.
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