Even Venice, like many other European cities, has chosen to build an electric public transport, first of all to help defeating atmospheric and acoustic pollution, but also as an alternative to private transport and to the problems of mobility between the historical centre and the mainland. Of the various options for electric transport, the tram satisfies perfectly the needs of local transport, the electric engine does not produce the acoustic pollution typical of thermic engines, and traction on wheels makes it less noisy than a traditional tram, which rattles for the friction between wheel and rail.

The municipal administration of Venice, together with trade associations, signed last March a protocol of agreement for the realization of the new tram system of Mestre and Venice. The protocol is the result of a series of meetings between the municipality of Venice and PVM (Society of Property for Venetian Mobility); PMV SpA, Society of Property for Venetian Mobility, [1], and the trade associations. In 2004 Unindustria of Venice asked the director of PVM to build a technical board where they could take all requests of associates, particularly the ones coming from the tourist sector. Initially the project had caused the concern of some hoteliers, due to the expected building of an underpass in via Piave, in front of the train station of Mestre, even though the importance of the new work was shared and declared by all trade associations. They examined the proposal by Unindustria of Venice to change the route and to build the underpass in via Capuccina, then they formalized a document which expected the request of preventive information on every phase of the project and on the kind of intervention of the new works: danger, noise, length and joined definition of the general state of the roads, with alternative routes respect to the ones used by the road yard.

The proposal to change the route was examined by the new municipal Administration, thinking about two variations for the original route, which will be object of discussion in the town council during the next months. The municipality of Venice realized that the implementation of works would have caused relapses on productive, commercial and reception activities located in the proximity of the yards, so they assessed various kinds of facilitations (eventual reduction of Tosap, Cimp etc.) in case the works should last beyond the times expected in the project.

The success of the protocol of agreement is indeed that of systematizing a dialogue between the parts: about the state of the works, the operation modes and the times of realization.

TECHNICAL DATA The tram system of Mestre-Venezia foresees the realization of two lines with a total extension of approximately 20 Kms and 20 vehicles. Line 1 : The route foresees a distance of more than 14 Kms with 23 stops, the terminus is in Favaro Veneto - Venice, the interchange with line 2 is in the centre of Mestre and the frequency of the service is every 5 minutes Line 2 The route foresees a distance of about 6 Kms with 17 stops, the terminus is in Marghera (Panorama) – Centre of Mestre interchange area, frequency of the service is every 7 minutes.