ATM Transition

As part of the last Re-think held in Milan in February 2022, Paolo Marchetti, Commercial, Strategy, Innovation and Sustainability Director of ATM, Azienda Trasporti Milanesi, spoke about how important the company’s focus on sustainability and circular economy issues is, what projects are underway and what its goals are.


Sustainability at the Core of ATM’s Mission

Paolo Marchetti started his speech by remarking on the importance of speaking about sustainability for a company that in the city of Milan has a great impact. ATM is a group composed of 10,000 employees and operates in Milan. It also in its surroundings in 96 municipalities, operating around 185 kilometers, before Covid-19, it carried 2.5 million passengers per day. It operates not only in urban and suburban public transport but also in automatic metros and in the backend of the industry. Managing rail diagnostic, and maintenance of the fleets, infrastructure, and network technologies.


Moreover, to be most integrated, it also manages the bike-sharing system and the car park around the city. All these modes of transportation guarantee the company to build a strong strategic plan with really focused pillars regarding its vision. First of all, Marchetti underlined how ATM is able to make the city of Milan a liveable, sustainable and smart city. At ATM, they work to guarantee this vision by operational excellence in building a stronger sustainability policy, not only regarding carbon neutrality but also all the points of view of the company with the help of technological innovation, and with benchmarks as well. In fact, for instance, the company also operates in Copenhagen, which was very important in improving the automatic metro management.


ATM in Milan

The network in Milan is complex and integrated, there are different layers aimed at guaranteeing all the types of movement in the city. 5 metro lines, 19 tram lines, 4 lines of trolleybuses and 158 lines of buses accounting for 5000 stops in the city, managed by 12 depot and the metro lines are also composed by 134 stations. It is very important to notice that there are different ways to manage such affecting activities in the cities. Great help was given also by the Mayor of Milan who formally committed to ensuring the city area has zero emissions by 2030.


For example, the major has suggested switching the bus fleet into an electrical fleet and it is really a big and not very easy objective. However, the company is trying to reach this target by building a clear sustainability policy based on carbon neutrality and other pillars regarding responsible consumption. It is essential to have a correct management of water, waste, and of all these types of related consumptions. This is not only a view of the company but of all the participants of its mission. For instance, selecting the suppliers with a tender that awards the companies with the same principles.


Additionally, according to Marchetti, involving the citizens to have inclusive mobility and accessibility can help the company to be sustainable. In order to implement all the goals set, it is necessary to have a great workplace for the employees. Some examples of how ATM tries to implement these ideas, first of all, there are green initiatives. In December 2021, they planted 330-trees wood in a depot, and in spring 2022 they will realize a big green wall in the depot, of 350 square meters. Now, they manage to cover 70% of the kilometers of tram, bus, and metro with electric energy. Also, now it is required to reach the last mile to have the whole fleet electric, in 2030. In such a scenario, it is also relevant to the self-production of energy, with photovoltaic and other initiatives regarding self-production.


Atm effort towards hydrogen and electric

Referring to hydrogen, ATM believes that to reach this ambitious target, it is important to have a neutral approach to technology. Therefore ATM has also 3 hydrogen buses and a plant that produces hydrogen. It is a pilot because hydrogen is difficult and expensive, but they are committed to being neutral despite the issues of the methods that help to be sustainable. The full-electric plan that started in 2017 is really important. It does not only imply a changeover of the bus fleet: it changes the industry system in itself by revamping the depots. Implementing charging systems in the depots also in the city, due to the autonomy of the vehicles that do not guarantee the full coverage of the services, requiring to build a reintegrated electrification in a city and in the depot.


Making electric the service cars as well for maintenance services and similar ones. In the depot, they have implemented a slow plug-in charging for overnight charging, and in the city, now, they have installed 10 Fast Opportunity Charging at the stops that in 8 minutes help the buses to gain the energy to close the service. All these technologies have to be monitored in the ATM control room to understand the status of the fleet in the city.


What is the plan for the future?

At the end of 2021, the fleet was composed of 170 electric buses and 30 new full-electric trolleybuses. With the important milestones of 2026, not only for ATM but for the Next Generation EU project, the company is committed to reaching 600 electric buses and introducing 2 new depots. Going into details about the depots, they will not be normal plants but an innovative concept with a minimal environmental impact and with reduced consumption: it will look like a garden, with a bus park and a small building destined not only for management and maintenance but to some initiatives of the city, as a library, restaurant as well as the idea that sustainability is also mixing the presence of the company with the function of the city to create a balance and a real smart city.


This is also because, if people are aware of what ATM does, they can see what ATM does, and they can understand ATM’ targets and efforts to reach them. Regarding Circular Economy, Marchetti concluded, it is relevant to consider the future of second-life batteries, since introducing 1.200 buses implies trying to understand the end of the battery, and secondly how to grid the vehicle.


If you want to know more about it, here is the link to download the entire report of Re-think Milan 2022

Otherwise, you can watch the entire speech on our YouTube Channel.


Francesco Castellano

Francesco Castellano holds a Master degree in Business Administration, and he has gathered almost twenty years of experience in research, finance, consulting, and business management. During this time, he was engaged in different types of projects as a consultant at Bain & Company, launched Uber operations in Turin, and worked in the FP&A department at General Electric.Lately, he founded To... Read more

Francesco Castellano holds a Master degree in Business Administration, and he has gathered almost twenty years of experience in research, finance, consulting, and business management. During this time, he was engaged in different types of projects as a consultant at Bain & Company, launched Uber operations in Turin, and worked in the FP&A department at General Electric.

Lately, he founded Tondo, a cluster of organizations focusing on spreading Circular Economy approaches and concepts, and supporting companies in the transition to a clean and circular future. Francesco is also the ideator and coordinator of the Re-think Circular Economy Forum, a format of events organized in many different locations in Italy showcasing the most relevant Circular Economy solutions.

Francesco has been a guest speaker at different universities and events, like Federico II University, Bocconi University, LIUC - Cattaneo University, Pavia University, Padua University, Catholic University, IPE Business School, 24ORE Business School, Campus Party, Torino Stratosferica, Visionary Days.

Francesco is passionate about Circular Economy, Cleantech Innovations, Venture Building and Entrepreneurship.

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