Rail works at Malpensa?

[newmilton]

I have just taken the bus from Milan Malpensa airport and noticed what seemed to be extensive works around the station at terminal 2 and beside the approach roads, and was wondering what they might be. They looked to me as if they might be a new rail alignment.

Does anyone have any insights?

 

[rvdborgt]

On openrailwaymap.org a line under construction is indicated indeed, from Malpensa T2 to Gallarate and Casorate Sempione. I can't really find any webpages about it.

 

[stuu]

It's called the MXP-NLINE, it's in order to allow trains from further north in Italy and from Switzerland to run directly to the airport

 

[rvdborgt]

It's called the MXP-NLINE, it's in order to allow trains from further north in Italy and from Switzerland to run directly to the airport

Thanks, that brought up some info:

Ferrovia T2 Malpensa-Sempione, Unione Europea approva finanziamento - FERROVIENORD

www.ferrovienord.it

The line is supposed to be ready in 2 months. No idea if that's still the case.

 

[newmilton]

Didn't look two months away from opening to me ...

 

[nwales58]

When open the S50 Lugano service will no longer spend half an hour getting to Gallarate, about 5 miles away.
A curve towards Sesto Calende is being built too. Anyone know intended service patterns? Presumably the 1st class fare penalty will apply that way too.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Oct 2024 ==

Thinking of which, does anyone know definitively whether using split tickets without leaving the train is allowed? Malpensa-Centrale costs 13.00 due to the 1st class fudge. Malpensa-Busto Arsizio Nord costs 4.00 but the services to Centrale switch to 2nd class fares from there (Cadorna services are 1st throughout), it's a further 4.40 from there saving 4.60 on the through fare.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I travelled through Malpensa T2 in June, intending to use the S50 to Gallarate to pick up a stopper from there to Domodossola (and on into CH).
This was thwarted by the summer engineering blockage around Stresa, and I used the direct bus instead.
On the way in to Malpensa (EZY from Manchester), the flight path overflew Gallarate and went way to the south before turning to land at MXP.
En route I took this picture which has MXP airport at the top, and Gallarate station and the Simplon route at the bottom.
It shows how close they are.
I can't see any sign of a new railway alignment taking shape in there, but of course it might be mostly in tunnel.
Current connectivity on the Simplon/Sempione route is rather poor with a 2-hourly stopper and very occasional stops on the CH-Milan EC trains.
Apart from the hourly S50 between MXP and Gallarate station, there is also an irregular local bus.



Edit:
Actually, forget the above photo as it doesn't go far enough to the north.
This one, taken a fraction earlier, does show a new surface alignment running mostly through forest from MXP to the Simplon line north of Gallarate, with spurs both ways.
The date was 10 June this year.

 

[stuu]

I can't see any sign of a new railway alignment taking shape in there, but of course it might be mostly in tunnel.

It's right on the top right edge of your photo. The route is to the west of Gallarate, it's very clearly visible in aerial views on Google maps. Streetview has been around there in August as well, and there is absolutely no chance it will open this year