The Barberini station on the A line
of the Rome metro was closed on Thursday after a step on an
escalator gave way.
The problem is a significant inconvenience for commuters and
tourists as the station serves an central area near to popular
places such as the Trevi fountain and Via Veneto.
Furthermore, the next station on the A line, Repubblica, has
been closed since an October 23 accident in which 20 CSKA Moscow
supporters on their way to a Champions League clash against AS
Roma were hurt when an escalator went berserk.
Access to the Barberini station and another A line stop,
Spagna, was repeated disrupted in the Christmas period due to
issues linked to the escalators.
Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi, who gas come under fire over this
and other problems with Rome's public transport network, said
the contactor for maintenance of the stations' escalators may be
dumped.
"The length of time is takes to get spare parts and the
anomalies that have occurred in the last few months with the
escalators are unacceptable," said Raggi, a member of the 5-Star
Movement (M5S).
"The annulment of the contract MetroRoma has with the company
that maintains the escalators should be considered".
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