Work commenced this week on a new railway line that will connect Venice Marco Polo Airport to Italy’s national railway network.
In a move set to enhance intermodal links across the country, the new train line will span approximately eight kilometres, of which 3.4 kilometres will be underground, and connect the city of Venice with the international air hub.
The rail link will start from the Mestre-Trieste line and run alongside the motorway and into a tunnel before arriving at the new ‘Venezia-Aeroporto’ underground railway station, which will connect directly to the airport terminal.
Currently, the airport is only directly accessible via car or bus, with the closest rail station, Venezia Mestre, still a 25-minute bus ride away.
Operated by state-owned railway company Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, the new connection will be serviced by both regional and long-distance trains and is scheduled to open in December 2025.
The ambitious €644 million rail project, jointly funded by the state, Venice airport operator Save and the country’s EU-backed post-pandemic Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), is excepted to ease traveller flows for the upcoming Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.