The national government will fund its share in tranches starting with €15m this year, €10m in 2020, €25m in 2021 with further amounts allocated in the following years up to 2027.

The project will double the length of Line M5 by adding a 12.8km northern extension from Bignami to Monza FS station. There will be four stations in Cinisello Balsamo and seven in Monza.

Construction is planned to start in 2021 with completion foreseen in 2026. Milan is bidding to host the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

An additional 11 trains will be needed to operate the extended line. Line 5, which was completed in 2015, is fully automated with driverless operation.

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