Construction work on the new railway connection between Terminal 2 of Milan Malpensa Airport and Gallarate, along the Simplon railway line, has been completed. The project was promoted, coordinated and managed by FERROVIENORD, a company belonging to the FNM Group. From Friday, 23 January, all Trenord Malpensa Express services departing from Milano Centrale will reach Gallarate via Terminals 1 and 2 of Milan Malpensa Airport, and will operate along the same route in the opposite direction, departing from Gallarate. Thanks to the new connection, Gallarate will be just 8 minutes from the airport’s Terminal 2 and 15 minutes from Terminal 1; the journey currently takes half an hour. Timetables and details of the new service are available through Trenord’s communication channels (the trenord.it website and app).
THE INAUGURATION – The inauguration ceremony for the new railway section included a trial journey on a special train from Malpensa Terminal 2 railway station to Gallarate station. Among those attending were Lombardy Regional Government Councillors Franco Lucente (Transport and Sustainable Mobility) and Francesca Caruso (Culture); Pierpaolo Settembri, Deputy Head of Cabinet to the European Commissioner for Transport and Tourism; FNM Chairman Andrea Gibelli; FNM Executive Director Fulvio Caradonna; FERROVIENORD Chairman Pier Antonio Rossetti; Trenord CEO Andrea Severini; SEA CEO Armando Brunini; and SALC Chairman Simon Pietro Salini. Edoardo Rixi, Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, sent a message.
THE ROUTE – The double-track railway connection between Terminal 2 of Milan Malpensa Airport and the RFI Simplon line includes 4.6 km of new railway track towards Gallarate. A 1.1 km link towards Casorate Sempione will be built in a second phase. The journey time between T2 and Gallarate is 8 minutes.
THE BENEFITS – Completion of the entire project will make it possible to close the railway loop around Malpensa and further expand the airport’s catchment area through the reorganisation of services in the north-western part of the region. Overall, the project completes rail access to Malpensa from the north and forms part, at EU level, of the so-called “Global Project” connecting Malpensa T1, Malpensa T2 and the Simplon line. The railway connection between Terminals T1 and T2 has been operational since 2016. This new infrastructure will therefore enhance rail routes to the Milan area, making them more efficient, faster and more sustainable. The airport will thus be able to become an interchange hub for short- and medium-distance rail services, high-speed trains and cross-border connections.
“The new railway connection – commented Lombardy Regional President Attilio Fontana – strengthens the network of connections across Lombardy and further improves access to Malpensa. As a regional government, we have strongly believed in this project, both by allocating substantial funding and by carrying out political and institutional work that secured funding and support from the European Union, which has always paid close attention to environmental issues. The project is of international significance, given its impact on European corridors, and provides a concrete example of the investments being made in sustainable mobility”.
“This is a project championed by the Lombardy Regional Government,” highlighted Franco Lucente, Lombardy Regional Councillor for Transport and Sustainable Mobility. “It strengthens connections between Malpensa and Milan, as well as links to Switzerland and Piedmont. The T2–Gallarate line makes Malpensa Airport a key interchange hub and a gateway to Europe and the rest of the world. Thanks to a major effort by the regional government, together with our partners Trenord and FERROVIENORD, we will further improve rail services by providing easier, faster connections and delivering clear benefits for public transport. The interchange at Gallarate will make it possible to connect Terminal T2 with Varese and the Canton of Ticino 15 minutes faster than today, link the Verbano area in both Piedmont and Lombardy with Malpensa, and multiply connections to Milan and to the MIND innovation district and the Rho exhibition centre. This reflects our full commitment to efficient mobility that meets passengers’ needs. For the airport, we have already allocated 10 new ‘Caravaggio’ trains, which are significantly more spacious and comfortable than the previous Malpensa Express trains, with a first-class section entirely dedicated to airport passengers. These trains have been in service since the first half of 2025. This is an important milestone, especially in view of the upcoming Milan-Cortina Olympic Games”.
“It is with great satisfaction,” commented Lombardy Regional Councillor for Infrastructure and Public Works Claudia Maria Terzi, “that we inaugurate another Olympic project on schedule: the new railway connection between Terminal 2 of Milan Malpensa Airport and Gallarate, along the Simplon railway line. From the outset, the Lombardy Regional Government has supported this project with €98 million in funding, including €11 million from the Lombardy Plan, recognising its strategic importance in strengthening Europe’s transport infrastructure network. The construction of this new railway extension will immediately make it possible to close the railway loop at the Gallarate junction, with a view to establishing direct connections with the Simplon, Gotthard and Luino routes. This will integrate Malpensa Airport more closely with the Alpine crossings and enhance its competitiveness, while ensuring more efficient connections not only with Milan but also with Switzerland. Lombardy is becoming increasingly strategic and central to connections with the TEN-T trans-European transport corridors”.
“For my local area,” emphasised Lombardy Regional Councillor for Culture Francesca Caruso, “this is truly a memorable day, full of significance. The new railway connection brings tangible benefits to the Province of Varese and, in particular, to my hometown of Gallarate, which is now connected to the airport by a convenient journey of just a few minutes. This will encourage many people to leave their cars at home and make a more sustainable choice. A new chapter is opening for local mobility and beyond: a new page we can be proud of”.
“The inauguration of the new connection between Malpensa Terminal 2 station and the Simplon line,” stated FNM Chairman Andrea Gibelli, “further connects Lombardy’s railway network with the airport, expanding intermodal transport options for both passengers and freight and laying the foundations for the future connection to Switzerland. This is a strategic infrastructure project and a very important step towards integrating different mobility systems, with significant positive effects in terms of environmental, social and economic sustainability”.
“Today marks the completion of a very important stage in a journey that began several years ago and responds to the growing and increasingly diverse mobility needs of Lombardy’s residents, as well as of the many people who come to our region for work or leisure. Different communities of people now have new opportunities to connect and interact,” emphasised FNM Executive Director Fulvio Caradonna.
“We are inaugurating this new railway section approximately three years after work began, having met all the deadlines set out in the project schedule and completed the infrastructure in time for the imminent Olympic Games. I can only thank all FERROVIENORD staff and the companies involved, who have worked with outstanding commitment and dedication to achieve this milestone,” added Pier Antonio Rossetti, Chairman of FERROVIENORD.
“Today, we are taking delivery of the results of these years of work: tomorrow, at 5:24 a.m., our staff will dispatch the first train from Gallarate bound for Malpensa’s two terminals,” commented Andrea Severini, CEO of Trenord. “The new connection will shorten journey times between Gallarate and the airport and increase connectivity from Varese, Porto Ceresio and Lake Maggiore. The first major test will be the Olympic event: a unique opportunity for our region, in which the mobility system plays a fundamental role. In 2025, 5.3 million passengers travelled on the Malpensa Express. Our ultimate goal is to further increase rail travel to the airport, promoting increasingly sustainable and integrated mobility”.
“The opening of the railway connection between Malpensa Terminal 2 and Gallarate improves access to the airport and strengthens its integration with the regional, national and European mobility network. The infrastructure, which connects to the Simplon line, completes a process that began with the opening of the Terminal 2 station and expands connections to the north, representing the first step towards the future enhancement of rail services to Milan and Switzerland. Malpensa thus consolidates its role as a core airport within the TEN-T network,” stated SEA CEO Armando Brunini.
THE NEW RAILWAY SECTION – FACT SHEET
THE INFRASTRUCTURE WORKS – The new railway line was built to overcome a number of technical challenges, including routing the track through the airport grounds, the presence of major road infrastructure such as the SS336, SS33 and SP68 roads, and the connection to the Simplon railway network beneath the RFI track. The following structures were therefore built to connect Terminal 2 with Gallarate station:
10 cut-and-cover tunnels, with a total length of 2,638 metres
one bored tunnel, 385 metres long
1,615 metres of railway cuttings.
The new route also includes four underpasses, three overpasses, seven emergency exits and technical buildings, including an electrical substation near the new Cardano junction. New signalling systems, the electrical traction system and the track infrastructure have also been completed, together with drainage works for railway and road runoff. The end section of the Terminal 2 station was partially demolished and subsequently rebuilt to allow the railway infrastructure to continue towards the Simplon line. Overall, the project required 177,000 cubic metres of concrete and 16,000 tonnes of steel. During construction, it was also necessary to modify local roads affected by the new railway section. The SS336 Gallaratese state road was temporarily diverted before being rebuilt, while the SS33 Simplon state road and the SP68 provincial road were realigned onto new routes.
ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION AND COMPENSATION MEASURES – The railway route, built partly underground (using cut-and-cover and bored tunnels) and partly above ground (in cuttings), was designed to minimise its impact on the surrounding area as far as possible. Various environmental mitigation and compensation measures were adopted, including the restoration of forest areas, heathland rehabilitation activities, the construction of two wildlife overpasses and two fauna crossings for small and medium-sized animals.
FUNDING – The investment in construction works amounts to €264,553,700. Funding is broken down as follows:
• €87,000,000 from the “Pact for Lombardy”;
• €63,402,000, equivalent to 30% of the total, from the European Union under the “CEF – Connecting Europe Facility – 2019 CEF Transport MAP Call” programme;
• €55,937,000 from the Ministry of Infrastructure (State Budget Forecast for the 2020 financial year and multi-year budget for 2020–2022);
• €11,000,000 from the Lombardy Regional Government (under the Economic Recovery Investment Programme – “Lombardy Plan”);
• €1,001,000 funded by SEA;
• €46,213,700 under the Prime Ministerial Decree of 8 September 2023 (Overall Plan for Olympic Works).
CONTRACT AND WORKS – The works were carried out by the temporary joint venture comprising S.A.L.C. SpA and Valsecchi Armamento Ferroviario Srl.
RAIL SERVICES ON THE NEW CONNECTION – The RE51 Milano Centrale–Malpensa–Gallarate line will operate one train every 30 minutes in each direction. Journey times will be 8 minutes to Terminal 2 and 15 minutes to Terminal 1. From Gallarate, trains towards Malpensa and Milan will depart at :24 and :54 past the hour, between 5:24 a.m. and 11:24 p.m. From Milano Centrale, trains towards Malpensa and Gallarate will retain their existing departure times, at :55 and :25 past the hour, between 4:55 a.m. and 11:25 p.m. From tomorrow until 24 February, evening and night services on the line will be enhanced for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games. Detailed timetables are available at trenord.it and on the app.
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