Tag Archives: ATAC

Rail Photo of the Month: May 2022

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Stanga 7003

Location: Piazza del Risorgimento, Rome, Italy
Operator of Vehicle: ATAC
Date of Photo: January 20, 2008

Rome is quite known for its ancient history, and attractions such as the Coliseum, Roman Forum, Vatican Museums, and more draw millions of tourists to the city each year.  It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that many of Rome’s trams currently in service were built over 70 years ago, and to my knowledge, there are currently no plans to replace them.  While some low floor trams operate on lines 2 and 8 (they are required on the latter due to a lack of turning loops at the terminals), the other lines mostly operate these single ended articulated trams that were commissioned shortly following World War II.

Although the trams might be quite old (dare I say ancient?), the rolling stock for lines A and B of the Rome Metro was constructed in this century.  And the newest line, Line C, is fully automated.  

For more photos of Stanga trams in Rome, please click here.

Bus Photo of the Month: April 2020

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BredaMenarinibus M321 108

BredaMenarinibus M321 108

Location: Via Torre de Argentina at Largo Argentina, Rome, Italy Operator of Vehicle: ATAC Date of Photo: February 5, 2008

There’s no sugarcoating what is on my mind right now.  I spent five months living in the heart of Rome in early 2008.  When I picture the streets of Rome, I picture bustling sidewalks and piazzas full of people.  The streets are filled with vehicular traffic, and buses go by packed with people to the point you always have to be aware of potential pickpockets.  The photos I’ve seen from Italy (among other places) in the world in light of the current Covid-19 health crisis are surreal.  I haven’t been on a transit vehicle in two weeks.  Who knows when I’ll next take a transit ride.  And let’s be honest, that’s a pretty trivial question right now.  However, I do hope that as a society, we are able to return to our normal ways of life as soon as it is safe to do so, and that the streets of Rome look more like they did at this time in 2008, pictured here, than they do today. For more photos of Rome’s BredaMenarinibus Buses, please click here.  

Bus Photo of the Month: February 2019

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TecnoBus Gulliver 10

TecnoBus Gulliver 10

Location: Via Florida at Largo Argentina, Rome, Italy
Operator of Vehicle: ATAC
Date of Photo: January 29, 2008

Many bus systems throughout the world are beginning to make a strong push towards electric powered vehicles. However, some agencies have already experimented with electric buses, to varying degrees of success.  In 1995, Rome ordered nearly 60 Gulliver electric buses from TecnoBus to run on a handful of routes that could not handle standard size buses.  These buses, in addition to being less than 6 meters (18 feet) long, also did not create vibrations that would damage old buildings in and near the city center.  The original fleet has been since been replaced by newer buses around 2010.  Unfortunately, the entire fleet was sidelined in 2014 after several buses caught fire.  Last year, the Rome municipality and TecnoBus reached an agreement to “revamp” the buses in an effort to get them back on the street.  More recently, TecnoBus was purchased by the Italian firm Enertronica.

For more photos of Rome’s TecnoBus Gulliver buses, please click here.