The funicular will reopen by the beginning of 2024 Chiaia but the times could be even shorter considering that in the new tender for the twenty-year revision works, which will be published by mid-February, the completion time is also included among the award criteria.
This is what emerged during a press conference held by the mayor, Gaetano Manfredi, and the transport councillor, Edoardo Cosenza, to take stock of the maintenance work on the cableway, which has been closed for several months now.
The twenty-year review has been postponed several times over the years since 2017, and the previous municipal administration had requested and obtained five extensions. "We have concluded the process of remodulating the tender," said Mayor Manfredi, "and also of finding the additional resources needed because the costs of the intervention are significantly higher than those that were expected.
We therefore had to find ad hoc resources by remodulating a loan with the EIB to allocate it to this intervention. The project was completely revised - he added - and an intervention was also made to certify the prices, considering that we are in a very variable market phase, to have greater certainty that the prices were congruent with the market at this time.
The process to secure the funicular and regain the ministry's authorization to operate and reopen it is thus restarted." From the point of view of the financial commitment, the cost is estimated between 12 and 13 million euros.
The civil works were removed from the new tender and only the electromechanical works necessary for the revision were confirmed.
"The administration's goal is to ensure the safe reopening - Cosenza underlined - overcoming the obstacles that have prevented its realization up to now and this is why we have availed ourselves of the consultancy of a leading company in the safety assessment of railway systems, ISARail, in order to reassure the market on the economic-financial value of the contract, with a specific certification report, taking into account the global market conditions and the regulatory interventions that have occurred on the high prices".
The Chiaia funicular transports an average of 15 passengers per day on weekdays, users who, since the facility has been closed - according to the data reported - continue to travel by public transport: 10 are the users who have switched to using the Central Funicular and approximately 5 the replacement shuttle made available by Anm to compensate for the closure of the facility.
Article published on 20 January 2023 - 19:35
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