Line 3 (Linea Tre in Italian, also known as M3) is an underground line in Milan, Italy. This line is part of the Milan Metro and operated by ATM. Construction began in 1981 in order to be ready for the 1990 Football World Cup. It is also called the Yellow Line (Linea Gialla) as identified by its yellow signage. The line connects the southeastern suburb of San Donato Milanese to the northwestern area of the city, travelling through the city centre. It is 17.1 km long and has 21 stations.

History

The proposal for a third metro line was approved by the municipal government of Milan in 1977. The route was chosen based on a study of main traffic routes in previous years. The final projected route was presented in early 1981. Works on the new line began on 8 September in the same year. The first section, from Centrale to Duomo opened on 3 May 1990, just in time for the beginning of the World Cup. However, only a shuttle service was active between the two terminus. The line was extended to Porta Romana at the end of the year. New extensions to Sondrio to the north and to San Donato to the south opened on 12 May 1991. Further extensions of the new line happened slowly in the following years. Zara station was inaugurated only on 16 December 1995 and Maciachini on 8 December 2003. The last extension (Maciachini-Comasina) opened in early 2011.

Route

The line, 16.6-kilometre long with 21 stations, runs from Comasina to San Donato, entirely underground

Rolling stock

Trains use an overhead contact system providing a voltage of. The track gauge is of the. As of 2020, there are two types of rolling stocks being used on the line:

Planned extension

A southeastern extension of the line has been planned. The new extension will run from San Donato through the municipalities of San Donato Milanese, Peschiera Borromeo, Mediglia, Pantigliate, Settala and finish in Paullo. The extended section will be 14.8 km long and has 6 stations. Trains will run mostly underground (60%). Although the project was approved in 2010, it was put on hold in early 2011 due to lack of funds. Works were postponed to a later date. Currently there are plans to replace 48 lifts and 52 elevators for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in 2026.

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