Transport in Rome

Rome has many ways for people to get around, making it a big spot for roads, trains, and airplanes in Italy. The city has lots of buses, trams, and metro lines to help people travel quickly. On Tuesday, January 14, 2020, Rome made a big change by stopping diesel vehicles from driving on its roads. This rule affected about one million cars, helping to keep the air cleaner for everyone.

Urban transport

Rome has an urban transport network with buses, trams, and subway lines. The city’s public transport is managed by Roma servizi per la Mobilità, which plans bus routes and gives users information and services.

The Rome Metro has three underground lines. The first line opened in 1955, making it the oldest in Italy. The Metro now has a total of 60 km (37 mi) of tracks with 73 stations. Lines A and B meet at Termini station, while line C is driverless and meets line A at San Giovanni Station and line B at Colosseo Station. The Metro serves around 820 thousand passengers each day.

Rome also has trams and commuter rail lines. The Rome-Lido line connects the city to the seaside town of Ostia, while Roma-Nord links the city to northern suburbs. The Lazio regional railways have eight lines that connect Rome’s suburbs and the Lazio region. Some of these lines also serve Rome’s airports, Fiumicino and Ciampino.

Rome has many bus routes, including three trolleybus routes. Bus routes are identified by symbols and letters. Urban routes (U) operate around the city from early morning to midnight. Express routes (X) connect the city center to far suburbs with fewer stops. Exact routes (E) follow strict timetables, mainly in outer areas. Night routes (N) operate from late evening until early morning.

Interurban bus transport

Many coach companies operate in Rome, such as Flixbus, Marino, Busitalia Fast-SIMET and Baltour. They offer trips across Italy and to other countries, mostly leaving from the bus stations in Anagnina and Tiburtina (TIBUS). These stations are very busy, with about 8 million passengers each year, making it the largest bus station in Italy.

Cotral is the main company for bus travel in the Lazio area. It links all the towns in the region, except the islands of Ponza and Ventotene. Cotral’s buses usually start from Rome’s metro stops at Tiburtina, Anagnina, Cornelia, Ponte Mammolo and Laurentina.

Railways

Rome is a very important place for trains in Italy, just like Milan and Bologna. Because Rome is in the middle of Italy, it has many fast train lines connecting it to cities like Florence, Bologna, Milan, Turin, Venice, Naples, and Salerno.

The biggest train station in Rome is Roma Termini, which is the busiest in all of Italy and one of the largest in Europe. Another big station is Roma Tiburtina, which is being updated for fast trains. There are several other important stations in Rome as well.

Roads

See also: List of streets in Rome

Rome has many roads to help people get around. The most important road is the A90, also called the Grande Raccordo Anulare or GRA. It circles around the city and connects to other roads going to places like Milan, Naples, Genoa, and Teramo. There are also roads to Fiumicino Aeroporto and other nearby towns.

Rome often has heavy traffic because there are many cars and not enough public transport. To help with this, some parts of the city limit when cars can drive there. These areas are called Zona a Traffico Limitato (ZTL). During certain hours on weekdays, cars cannot drive in these zones. There are also special areas where only clean cars can drive.

The city also has paths for bikes and electric scooters. In 2024, Rome started building a big new bike path called "GRAB" to help people ride bikes more easily.

Rome supports sharing cars to help the environment. There are many car-sharing services, and many places to charge electric cars.

Motor Traffic Limited Zone (ZTL)

To reduce traffic, some parts of Rome limit when cars can drive there. This is called the Zona a Traffico Limitato (ZTL). During workdays from 6 am to 6 pm, cars cannot drive in the central part of the city. Other areas like Trastevere, San Lorenzo, Testaccio, and Monti also have limits on cars during busy times.

There are also rules to protect the environment. Some areas close to certain types of cars, and there are places to pay to park in the old part of the city.

Cycling and e-scooters

Rome has many places to rent bikes and electric scooters. The city has about 320 km of paths for bikes, going through parks and along main streets. There are many places to park bikes, and some train stations have special spots for bikes.

Car sharing

Sustainable mobility is encouraged by car-sharing services. Operators like Carsharing Roma, ”Enjoy”, ”Share Now”, ”eCooltra”, ”BikesBooking”, and ”LeasysGO!” are active in the city. There are many places to charge electric cars, with 3,588 charging points available.

Airports

Main articles: Rome Fiumicino Airport, Rome Ciampino Airport, and Rome Urbe Airport

Rome has three main airports for travelers. The biggest one is Leonardo Da Vinci Airport, also called Fiumicino. It is the largest airport in Italy and handles many flights both inside and outside the country. It is located a little far from the city center, about 30 km away, but trains and buses make it easy to get there.

Another airport is Rome Ciampino Airport, which also handles some flights and is about 15 km from the city center. It can be reached by train, bus, or shuttle services.

There is also a smaller airport called Rome Urbe Airport, closer to the city, mainly used for helicopters and private planes.

Maritime transport

Marina of Rome

Main article: Marina of Rome

The Marina of Rome is a special place for boats and ships, found in the Ostia area near the beach and the Tiber river. It is looked after by Italian police groups like the Guardia di Finanza, Carabinieri, Polizia, and Capitaneria di Porto for the Municipality of Rome and the Lazio Region. This spot has space for many boats, up to very big ones, and also has a place to fix and care for ships.

Port of Civitavecchia

Main article: Port of Civitavecchia

The Port of Civitavecchia is the biggest port close to Rome. It was built a long time ago by the Emperor Trajan around 106 BC and sits in Civitavecchia, just about an hour away from Rome. This port is very busy for moving things and people, and it is the main place in Italy for big holiday ships, with more than 3 million people visiting each year.

It is part of a big travel network called the "Motorways of the Sea" and connects to many places in the Mediterranean. It helps link Italy to places like Sardinia, Barcelona, Malta, and Tunis. The port is managed by a special group and includes other ports like Fiumicino and Gaeta, all together called the "Ports of Rome and Lazio".

Statistics

In Rome, people spend about 79 minutes each weekday using public transport to get to and from work. Some riders, about 22%, spend more than two hours every day on public transport. On average, people wait about 20 minutes at a stop or station, but around 39% of riders wait longer than 20 minutes each day. Typically, a single trip on public transport covers about 6.8 kilometers, with 12% of trips being longer than 12 kilometers in one direction.