Incubator escapee wiki

Rail transport in Italy

Article Discussion

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox rail network The Italian railway system is one of the most important parts of the infrastructure of Italy, with a total length<ref>Total length of tracks: double tracks are counted twice.</ref> of Template:Convert of which active lines are Template:Convert.<ref name=rete_rfi /> The network has recently grown with the construction of the new high-speed rail network. Italy is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Italy is 83.

The networkEdit

Template:See also

File:Italy TAV.png
Map of Italian high-speed and higher speed rail network

RFI (Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, Italian Rail Network), a state owned infrastructure manager which administers most of the Italian rail infrastructure. The Italian railway system has a length of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert standard gauge. The active lines are Template:Convert,<ref name=rete_rfi /> of which Template:Convert are double tracks.<ref name=rete_rfi /> Italy has 2,507 people and 12.46 km2 per kilometre of rail track, giving Italy the world's 13th-largest rail network.<ref name="network-size">Compare List of countries by rail transport network size.</ref>

Lines are divided into 3 categories:

  • fundamental lines (fondamentali), which have high traffic and good infrastructure quality, comprise all the main lines between major cities throughout the country. Fundamental lines are Template:Convert long;
  • complementary lines (complementari), which have less traffic and are responsible for connecting medium or small regional centres. Most of these lines are single track and some are not electrified;
  • node lines (di nodo), which link complementary and fundamental lines near metropolitan areas for a total Template:Convert.<ref name=rete_rfi />

Most of the Italian network is electrified (Template:Convert). The electric system is 3 kV DC on conventional lines and 25 kV AC on high-speed lines.<ref name=elet_rfi>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

A major part of the Italian rail network is managed and operated by RFI (Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, Italian Rail Network). Other regional agencies, mostly owned by public entities such as regional governments, operate on the Italian network.

Travellers who often make use of the railway during their stay in Italy might use rail passes, such as the European Interrail / Eurail passes or Italy's national and regional passes. These rail passes allow travellers the freedom to use regional trains during the validity period, but all high-speed and intercity trains require up to a 15-euro reservation fee.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Regional passes, such as "Io viaggio ovunque Lombardia", offer one-day, multiple-day and monthly periods of validity. There are also saver passes for adults, who travel as a group, with savings up to 20%. Foreign travellers should purchase these passes in advance so that the passes can be delivered by post prior to the trip. When using the rail passes, the date of travel needs to be filled in before boarding the trains.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

File:Main branch map of the Ferrovie Nord Milano railway line.gif
Map of the main branch of the Ferrovie Nord Milano lines
File:Rete Ferrovie Emilia-Romagna.png
Marked in red, Ferrovie Emilia Romagna's railroad network

Companies certified to run railways in Italy are:

From 2000
From 2001
From 2002
From 2003
From 2004
From 2005
From 2006
  • SAD - Trasporto Locale S.p.A.
  • Nord Cargo S.r.l. (ex Ferrovie Nord Cargo S.r.l.)
  • Arenaways S.p.A.

HistoryEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:Multiple image

File:Sede Centrale FS.jpg
Head office of the Ferrovie dello Stato in Rome
File:Etr500.JPG
CitationClass=web }}</ref>
File:FS-TI ALn 501 Vigodarzere-080105.jpg
An Italian local train Minuetto

The first line to be built on the peninsula was the Naples–Portici line, in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which was Template:Convert long and was inaugurated on 3 October 1839, nine years after the world's first "modern" inter-city railway, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The following year the firm Holzhammer of Bolzano was granted the "Imperial-Royal privilege" to build the Milano–Monza line (Template:Convert), the second railway built in Italy, in the then Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, a part of the Austrian Empire.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

After the creation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, a project was started to build a network from the Alps to Sicily, in order to connect the country. After unification, construction of new lines was boosted: in 1875, with the completion of the section Orte-Orvieto, the direct Florence–Rome line was completed, reducing the travel time of the former route passing through Foligno-Terontola.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Private companies were definitively bought back by the Italian state on 1 July 1905, with the creation of the Ferrovie dello Stato (State Railways), or FFSS, with a total of Template:Convert of lines, of which it already owned Template:Convert. The move was completed the following year with the acquisition of the remaining SFM network: by then FFSS possessed Template:Convert of lines, of which Template:Cvt with double tracks.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The period from 1922 to 1939 was heavy with important construction and modernisation programmes for the Italian railways, which also incorporated Template:Convert from the Ferrovie Reali Sarde of Sardinia. The most important programme was that of the Rome–Naples and Bologna–Florence direttissimas ("most direct lines"): the first reduced the travel time from the two cities by an hour and a half; the second, announced proudly as "constructing Fascism", included the second longest tunnel in the world at the time.<ref>Cesare Columba, Da Firenze a Bologna bucando l'Appennino in, VdR 1839-1939: i centocinquant'anni delle ferrovie italiane, pp. 26-28</ref> Electrification on 3,000 V direct current was introduced, which later supplanted the existing three-phase system. Other improvements included automatic blocks, light signals, construction of numerous main stations (Milan Central, Napoli Mergellina, Roma Ostiense and others) and other technical modernisations. The first high-speed train was the Italian ETR 200, which in July 1939 went from Milan to Florence at Template:Convert, with a top speed of Template:Convert.<ref>Cornolo Giovanni. Una leggenda che corre: breve storia dell'elettrotreno e dei suoi primati; ETR.200 – ETR.220 – ETR 240. Template:ISBN</ref> With this service, the railway was able to compete with the upcoming aeroplanes. The Second World War stopped these services.

After World War II, Italy started to repair the damaged railways and built nearly Template:Convert of new tracks. Entire lines were out of action and much of the rolling stock was destroyed. Thanks to the Marshall Plan, in the following years they could be rebuilt, although the possibility of reorganizing the network was missed due to short-sighted policies.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The main Battipaglia-Reggio Calabria line (running along the west coast) was doubled, while a program of updating of infrastructures, superstructures, services, colour-light signalling and cars was updated or extended. The three-phase lines were gradually turned into standard 3,000 V dc lines.

Increasing numbers of steam locomotives were replaced by electric or diesel ones; in the 1960s also the first unified passenger cars appeared and the first attempts of interoperability with foreign companies were started, culminating in the creation of Trans Europe Express services. Nowadays the rail tracks and infrastructure are managed by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> while the train and the passenger section is managed mostly by Trenitalia. Both are Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) subsidiaries, once the only train operator in Italy.

High-speed railEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

File:Rimessa ferroviaria pistoia 64.jpg
The original Italian ETR 200 trainset of the speed world record (Template:Convert) in 1938, now preserved as historical train, was re-numbered ETR 232 in the 1960s
File:Frecciarossa 1000 No' 08.jpg
CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
File:FS ETR.500 pair, Firenze S.M.N. (1).JPG
CitationClass=web }}</ref>
File:Italo Evo in Venezia.jpg
Template:Ill Italo EVO (NTV) at Venezia Mestre railway station.

The Italian high-speed service began in 1938 with an electric-multiple-unit ETR 200, designed for Template:Convert, between Bologna and Naples. It too reached Template:Convert in commercial service, and achieved a world mean speed record of Template:Convert between Florence and Milan in 1938.

High-speed trains were developed during the 1960s. E444 locomotives were the first standard locomotives capable of top speed of Template:Convert, while an ALe 601 electrical multiple unit (EMU) reached a speed of Template:Convert during a test. Other EMUs, such as the ETR 220, ETR 250 and ETR 300, were also updated for speeds up to Template:Convert. The braking systems of cars were updated to match the increased travelling speeds.

On 25 June 1970, work was started on the Rome–Florence Direttissima, the first high-speed line in Italy and in Europe. It included the Template:Convert bridge on the Paglia river, then the longest in Europe. Works were completed in the early 1990s.

In 1975, a program for a widespread updating of the rolling stock was launched. However, as it was decided to put more emphasis on local traffic, this caused a shifting of resources from the ongoing high-speed projects, with their subsequent slowing or, in some cases, total abandonment. Therefore, 160 E.656 electric and 35 D.345 locomotives for short-medium range traffic were acquired, together with 80 EMUs of the ALe 801/940 class, 120 ALn 668 diesel railcars. Some 1,000 much-needed passenger and 7,000 freight cars were also ordered.

In the 1990s, work started on the Treno Alta Velocità (TAV) project, which involved building a new high-speed network on the routes Milan – (Bologna–Florence–Rome–Naples) – Salerno, Turin – (Milan–Verona–Venice) – Trieste and Milan–Genoa. Most of the planned lines have already been opened, while international links with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia are underway.

Most of the Rome–Naples line opened in December 2005, the Turin–Milan line partially opened in February 2006 and the Milan–Bologna line opened in December 2008. The remaining sections of the Rome–Naples and the Turin–Milan lines and the Bologna–Florence line were completed in December 2009. All these lines are designed for speeds up to Template:Convert. Since then, it is possible to travel from Turin to Salerno (ca. Template:Convert) in less than 5 hours. More than 100 trains per day are operated.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Other proposed high-speed lines are Salerno-Reggio Calabria<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> (connected to Sicily with the future bridge over the Strait of Messina<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>), Palermo-Catania<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Naples–Bari.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The main public operator of high-speed trains (alta velocità AV, formerly Eurostar Italia) is Trenitalia, part of FSI. Trains are divided into three categories (called "Le Frecce"): Frecciarossa ("Red arrow") trains operate at a maximum of Template:Convert on dedicated high-speed tracks; Frecciargento (Silver arrow) trains operate at a maximum of Template:Convert on both high-speed and mainline tracks; Frecciabianca (White arrow) trains operate at a maximum of Template:Convert on mainline tracks only.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Since 2012, a new and Italy's first private train operator, NTV (branded as Italo), run high-speed services in competition with Trenitalia. Even nowadays, Italy is the only country in Europe with a private high-speed train operator.

Construction of the Milan-Venice high-speed line began in 2013 and in December 2016 the Milan-Treviglio-Brescia section has been opened to passenger traffic;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the Milan-Genoa high-speed line (Terzo Valico dei Giovi) is also under construction.

Today it is possible to travel from Rome to Milan in less than 3 hours (2h 55' without intermediate stops) with the Frecciarossa 1000, the new high-speed train. As of June 2024, there are 46 Trenitalia <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and 33 Italo <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> round-trip high-speed trains every weekday that cover this route,

Night trainsEdit

Template:Main article

File:OEBB Nachtzug Strecken streckennetz deutsch 2023.png
Nightjet Route Map (2023)

The Nightjet of the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) serves different major cities in Italy like Rome, Venice, Florence and Milano. The trains can be used for rides inside Italy as well as for journeys abroad.

Nightjet trains offer beds in sleeper carriages (Nightjet's most comfortable service category), couchette carriages, and seated carriages. On certain connections, cars can also be transported on the train. Bikes can be transported in a bike transport bag, or on some connections also in special bike racks.

Intercity trainsEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

File:Trains in Napoli Centrale-Garibaldi 18 55 44 221000.jpeg
An Italian InterCity train at Napoli Centrale railway station
File:Inter city train (Rome) in 2023.01.jpg
An Italian InterCity train at Roma Termini railway station

With the introduction of high-speed trains, intercity trains are limited to a few services per day on mainline and regional tracks.

The daytime services (InterCity IC), while not frequent and limited to one or two trains per route, are essential in providing access to cities and towns off the railway's mainline network. The main routes are Trieste to Rome (stopping at Venice, Bologna, Prato, Florence and Arezzo), Milan to Rome (stopping at Genoa, La Spezia, Pisa and Livorno / stopping at Parma, Modena, Bologna, Prato, Florence and Arezzo), Bologna to Lecce (stopping at Rimini, Ancona, Pescara, Bari and Brindisi) and Rome to Reggio di Calabria (stopping at Latina and Naples). In addition, the Intercity trains provide a more economical means of long-distance rail travel within Italy.

The night trains (Intercity Notte ICN) have sleeper compartments and washrooms, but no showers on board. The main routes are Rome to Bolzano/Bozen (calling at Florence, Bologna, Verona, Rovereto and Trento), Milan to Lecce (calling at Piacenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, Faenza, Forlì, Cesena, Rimini, Ancona, Pescara, Bari and Brindisi), Turin to Lecce (calling at Alessandria, Voghera, Piacenza, Parma, Bologna, Rimini, Pescara, Termoli, San Severo, Foggia, Barletta, Bisceglie, Molfetta, Bari, Monopoli, Fasano, Ostuni and Brindisi) and Reggio di Calabria to Turin (calling at Naples, Rome, Livorno, La Spezia and Genova). Most portions of these ICN services run during the night; since most services take 10 to 15 hours to complete a one-way journey, their daytime portion provides extra train connections to complement the Intercity services.

There are a total of 86 intercity trains running in Italy per day.Template:Citation needed

Regional trainsEdit

File:Fara Sabina - stazione ferroviaria - elettrotreno Trenitalia Rock.jpg
A Trenitalia ETR 521 "Rock" regional train on Florence–Rome railway at Fara Sabina-Montelibretti station

Trenitalia operates regional services (both fast veloce RV and stopping REG) throughout Italy.

File:Trenord ETR 204 010 Palazzolo sull Oglio 20230410.jpg
A Trenord Donizetti TN 204 arrives at Palazzolo sull'Oglio railway station

Regional train agencies exist: their train schedules are largely connected to and shown on Trenitalia, and tickets for such train services can be purchased through Trenitalia's national network. Other regional agencies have separate ticket systems which are not mutually exchangeable with that of Trenitalia. These "regional" tickets could be purchased at local newsagents or tobacco stores instead.

  • Trentino-Alto Adige / {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}: Südtirol Bahn (Template:Lit) runs regional services on Ala/Ahl-am-Etsch to Bolzano/Bozen (calling at Rovereto/Rofreit, Trento/Trient and Mezzocorona/Kronmetz), Bolzano/Bozen to Merano/Meran, Bressanone/Brixen to San Candido/Innichen, and a direct "Tirol regional express REX" service between Bolzano/Bozen in Italy and Innsbruck in Austria.
  • Veneto: Sistemi Territoriali runs regional trains in Veneto region.
  • Lombardy: Trenord runs the Malpensa Express airport train, many Milan's suburban lines and most regional train services in Lombardy. Trenord also co-operates with DB and ÖBB on the EuroCity Verona-Munich service, and with SBB CFF FFS (joint-venture TiLo) on the regional express and suburban trains between Lombardy and the towns of Canton of Ticino, such as Lugano, Locarno, Cadenazzo, Bellinzona and Mendrisio.
  • Emilia-Romagna: Trasporto Passeggeri Emilia-Romagna provides vital connections across cities on different mainline networks, including Modena, Parma, Suzzara, Ferrara, Reggio Emilia and Bologna.
  • Tuscany: La Ferroviaria Italiana operates in Arezzo province.
  • Abruzzo: Sangritana runs daily services between Pescara and Lanciano.

In addition to these agencies, there is a great deal of other little operators, such as AMT Genova for the Genova-Casella railway.

StationsEdit

File:Roma termini 01.jpg
Roma Termini railway station
File:Milan CentralStation 016 4294.jpg
Milano Centrale railway station

Template:Main article Italy's top ten railway stations by annual passengers are:

Rank Railway Station Annual entries/exits (millions) Number of platforms City Region
1 Roma Termini citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>|| 32||Rome||Lazio

2 Milano Centrale citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>|| 24||Milan||Lombardy

3 Torino Porta Nuova citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>|| 20||Turin||Piedmont

4 Firenze Santa Maria Novella citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>|| 19||Florence||Tuscany

5 Bologna Centrale citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>|| 28||Bologna||Emilia-Romagna

6 Roma Tiburtina citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>|| 20||Rome||Lazio

7 Napoli Centrale citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>|| 25||Naples||Campania

8 Milano Cadorna 33.1<ref name=b>Bilancio Sociale "LeNord" 2004-2005</ref> 10 Milan Lombardy
9 Venezia Mestre citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>|| 13||Venice||Veneto

10 Venezia Santa Lucia 30<ref name="grandistazioni.it"/> 16 Venice Veneto

Rapid transitEdit

MetroEdit

File:Inaugurazione metro B1.jpg
Rome Metro
File:M4 San Babila appena inaugurata.jpg
Milan Metro

Milan Metro is the largest rapid transit system in Italy in terms of length, number of stations and ridership; and the fifth longest in the European Union and the eighth in the Europe.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Seven cities have metro systems:

City Name Lines Length (km) Stations Opening
Brescia Brescia Metro 1 13.7 17 2013
Catania Catania Metro 1 8.8 10 1999
Genoa Genoa Metro 1 7.1 8 1990
Milan Milan Metro 5 102.5 119 1964
Naples Naples Metro 2 20.3 23 1993
Rome Rome Metro 3 60 75 1955
Turin Turin Metro 1 15.1 23 2006

Commuter railEdit

File:Milano staz Porta Venezia TSR linea S6.JPG
A TSR train at Milano Porta Venezia railway station on the Milan Passerby railway

15 cities have commuter rail systems; cities without wikilink are those listed just above for their metro rail system.

Airport shuttlesEdit

Template:See also

File:Leonardo express 01.jpg
Leonardo Express at Roma Termini railway station
File:Malpensa-Express ETR 245-501 (24201808984).jpg
Malpensa Express at Milano Centrale railway station

Airport shuttle buses are highly developed and convenient for rail travellers. Most airports in Italy are not connected to the railway network, except for Rome Fiumicino Airport, Milan Malpensa Airport and Turin Caselle Airport. In Bologna, there is the monorail Marconi Express, connecting Bologna Airport to the main railway station. Linate Airport in Milan has been connected to line 4 of the Milan metro since 2022.

  • Venice: Venezia-Mestre station - Marco Polo Airport (50 minutes) and Treviso Airport
  • Milan: Milano Centrale station - Malpensa Airport (1 hour 5 minutes), Linate Airport (35 minutes) and Milan Bergamo Airport (1 hour)
  • Brescia: Brescia station - Milan Bergamo Airport (1 hour)
  • Rome: Rome Termini station - Fiumicino Airport (31 minutes)
  • Verona: Verona Porta Nuova station - Villafranca "Catullo" Airport (20 minutes)
  • Bologna: Centrale station - Bologna Airport (20 minutes) - Route modified in November 2020. It shifted from route BLQ (Bologna Centrale Station-Bologna Airport) to route 944 Ospedale Maggiore-Bologna Airport
  • Pescara Centrale station - Abruzzo Airport (10 minutes)
  • Pisa: Pisa Centrale station - San Giusto Airport (5 minutes)
  • Florence: Firenze S M Novella station - Florence Airport

TramEdit

File:Milano tram piazza Cavour.jpg
CitationClass=web }}</ref>

11 cities have tram system:

Tram-trainEdit

Template:See also

File:Řím, Porta Maggiore, úzkorozchodná elektrická jednotka.jpg
Rome–Giardinetti railway
File:Sasstram.jpg
Metrosassari

2 cities have tram-train system, Rome and Sassari. The Rome–Giardinetti railway connects Laziali (a regional train station some Template:Convert from Termini's main concourse) with Giardinetti to the east just past the Grande Raccordo Anulare, Rome's orbital motorway.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is run by ATAC, the company responsible for public transportation in the city, which also operates the Rome Metro.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The present railway is the only part of the old and longer Rome–Fiuggi–Alatri–Frosinone railway to be in service. The latest shortening of the line occurred in 2008 with the closing of the Giardinetti–Pantano section, which has now become part of the Metro Line C.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The line had been due to be dismantled in 2016 to be replaced with a bus lane along Via Casilina,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but in March 2015 it was announced that the line would instead be retained and modernised.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Metrosassari,<ref>Template:In lang ARST - Metrosassari</ref><ref>Template:In lang Azienda Trasporti Pubblici Sassari - Informazioni Template:Webarchive</ref> also called Sassari tramway, Sassari tram-train or Sassari metro-tramway (Template:Langx or Template:Langx) is the commercial name of a tram-train<ref>Template:In lang Andrea Spinosa - Progetto tram-treno Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>Template:In langComune di Benevento - SCHEDA n° 2 Sassari, Italia, Tram Treno</ref><ref>Template:In lang Elena Molinaro, Linee guida tram trenoTemplate:Dead link, Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti, atti del 5º convegno nazionale Sistema Tram, Roma, 1 gennaio – 1 febbraio 2013.</ref> line in Sassari, Sardinia, Italy, operated by the regional public transport company ARST (Azienda Regionale Sarda Trasporti). Despite having been built in the early 2000s, in the urban section the line was built with single track and narrow gauge, to connect with the same Template:RailGauge gauge used in the secondary railway lines in Sardinia. The Template:Convert tramway part of the line (Stazione - Emiciclo Garibaldi) opened in October 2006, linking the railway station with the city centre via the hospital district.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 27 September 2009 the line was extended into the peripheral district of Santa Maria di Pisa, running on the electrified portion<ref>Template:In lang Lestradeferrate.it - Stazione di Santa Maria di Pisa</ref> of the Sassari–Sorso railway.<ref>Template:In lang Tram oltre Sassari. In: ″I Treni″ Nr. 320 (November 2009), p. 8.</ref> The main part of the network was in 2013 in the advanced development phase. It is under construction is the extension of the line from Santa Maria di Pisa to Li Punti and Baldinca, and the electrification of the railway to Sorso, 10 km from Sassari. It is also planned to convert and electrify the 28 km Sassari-Alghero railway to allow the trams to reach the village of Olmedo, Fertilia Airport and the town of Alghero.

Rail links to adjacent countriesEdit

File:Rail tracks east upper Menton.jpg
The Marseille-Ventimiglia railway line in Ventimiglia, near the French border
File:Simplon railway tunnel entrance switzerland.jpg
Simplon Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Simplon railway that connects Brig, Switzerland and Domodossola, Italy, through the Alps.

Italy has 11 rail border crossings over the Alpine mountains with her neighbouring countries: six are designated as mainline tracks and two are metre-gauge tracks. The six mainline border crossings are: two with France (one for Nice and Marseille; the other for Lyon and Dijon), two with Switzerland (one for Brig, Bern and Geneva; the other for Chiasso, Lugano, Lucerne and Zürich), and two with Austria (one for Innsbruck; the other for Villach, Graz and Vienna). The two-metre-gauge track crossings are located at the border town of Tirano (enters Switzerland's Canton Graubünden/Grisons) and Domodossola (enters Switzerland's canton of Ticino).

There was a railway line connecting Italy's northeastern port of Trieste to Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Vienna, built when Trieste was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire:the Austrian Southern Railway. This railway stopped operating at the end of World War II.Direct connections between Trieste and Ljubljana have resumed since september 2018.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Vatican City is also linked to Italy with a railway line serving a single railway station, the Vatican City railway station. This line is used only for special occasions.<ref name=vat1>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> San Marino used to have a narrow gauge rail connection with Italy; this was dismantled in 1944.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

All links have the same gauge.

File:Domodossola staz ferr lato strada.JPG
Domodossola railway station

Stations on the border are:

Heritage railwaysEdit

Template:See also

File:Stazione Cansano.jpg
Historic train at the Cansano railway station, along the now tourist Template:Ill in Italy

In Italy, the heritage railways institute is recognized and protected by law no. 128 of 9 August 2017, which has as its objective the protection and valorisation of disused, suspended or abolished railway lines, of particular cultural, landscape and tourist value, including both railway routes and stations and the related works of art and appurtenances, on which, upon the proposal of the regions to which they belong, tourism-type traffic management is applied (art. 2, paragraph 1).<ref name="gazzettaufficiale.it">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At the same time, the law identified a first list of 18 tourist railways, considered to be of particular value (art. 2, paragraph 2).<ref name="gazzettaufficiale.it"/>

The list is periodically updated by decree of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, in agreement with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Culture, also taking into account the reports in the State-Regions Conference, a list which in 2022 reached 26 railway lines.<ref name="mit.gov.it">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to article 1, law 128/2017 has as its purpose: "the protection and valorisation of railway sections of particular cultural, landscape and tourist value, which include railway routes, stations and related works of art and appurtenances, and of the historic and tourist rolling stock authorized to travel along them, as well as the regulation of the use of ferrocycles".<ref name="gazzettaufficiale.it"/>

File:Viadukt zwischen Nulvi und Martis.jpg
Tourist train in transit on a viaduct of the Sassari–Tempio–Palau railway in Italy
File:Garessio staz ferr ALn 663.jpg
Tourist train in transit on the Ceva–Ormea railway in Italy

Below is the list of railway lines recognized as tourist railways by Italian legislation. Template:Col-begin a) pursuant to art. 2 paragraph 2 law 128/2017:<ref name="gazzettaufficiale.it"/>

  1. Sulmona-Castel di Sangro section of the Template:Ill<ref name="RFI">A ordinary gauge, owned by RFI.</ref>
  2. Template:Ill<ref>A narrow gauge, regional railway owned by Template:Ill; the service is called Template:Ill.</ref>
  3. Template:Ill<ref name="RFI"/>
  4. Template:Ill<ref name="RFI"/>
  5. Template:Ill<ref name="RFI"/>
  6. Castel di Sangro-Carpinone section of the Sulmona-Isernia railway<ref>Subsequently extended to Isernia.</ref>
  7. Ceva–Ormea railway<ref name="RFI"/>
  8. Template:Ill<ref name="ARST">A narrow gauge, regional railway owned by ARST; the service is called Trenino Verde.</ref>
  9. Template:Ill<ref name="ARST"/>
  10. Sassari–Tempio-Palau railway<ref name="ARST"/>
  11. Template:Ill<ref name="ARST"/>
  12. Template:Ill<ref name="RFI"/>
  13. Castelvetrano-Porto Palo section of the Template:Ill<ref name="FS reduced Sicily">Line part of the disused narrow gauge FS network of Sicily.</ref>
  14. Agrigento Bassa-Porto Empedocle section of the Castelvetrano-Porto Empedocle railway<ref name="FS reduced Sicily"/>
  15. Template:Ill<ref name="RFI"/>
  16. Asciano–Monte Antico railway<ref name="RFI"/>
  17. Template:Ill<ref name="RFI"/>
  18. Template:Ill<ref name="RFI"/>

Template:Col-break b) pursuant to the Ministerial Decree of 30 March 2022:<ref name="mit.gov.it"/>

  1. Template:Ill<ref name="RFI"/>
  2. Template:Ill<ref name="RFI"/>
  3. Alba-Nizza Monferrato section of the Template:Ill<ref name="RFI"/>
  4. Novara–Varallo railway<ref name="RFI"/>
  5. Fabriano-Pergola section of the Template:Ill<ref name="RFI"/>
  6. Template:Ill<ref name="RFI"/>
  7. Template:Ill<ref name="RFI"/>
  8. Template:Ill<ref name="RFI"/>
  9. Malnate Olona-Swiss border section of the Valmorea railway.<ref>A ordinary gauge, regional railway owned by Ferrovienord.</ref>

Template:Col-end

File:Brusio Cavaglia 2009 2.jpg
Bernina railway line between Poschiavo, Switzerland, and Tirano, Italy

The Bernina railway line is a single-track Template:Track gauge railway line forming part of the Rhaetian Railway (RhB). It links the spa resort of St. Moritz, in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland, with the town of Tirano, in the Province of Sondrio, Italy, via the Bernina Pass. Reaching a height of Template:Convert above sea level, it is the third highest railway crossing in Europe. It also ranks as the highest adhesion railway of the continent, andTemplate:Spndwith inclines of up to 7%Template:Spndas one of the steepest adhesion railways in the world. The elevation difference on the section between the Bernina Pass and Tirano is Template:Convert, allowing passengers to view glaciers along the line. On 7 July 2008, the Bernina line and the Albula railway line, which also forms part of the RhB, were recorded in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, under the name Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes. The whole site is a cross-border joint Swiss-Italian heritage area. Trains operating on the Bernina line include the Bernina Express.

In July 2023, Ferrovie dello Stato established a new company, the "FS Treni Turistici Italiani" (English: FS Italian Tourist Trains), with the mission "to propose an offer of railway services expressly designed and calibrated for quality, sustainable tourism and attentive to rediscovering the riches of the Italian territory. Tourism that can experience the train journey as an integral moment of the holiday, an element of quality in the overall tourist experience".<ref name="fsitaliane.it">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> There are three service areas proposed:

  • Luxury trains, which includes the circulation of the "Orient Express - La Dolce Vita" from 2024, and Venice Simplon Orient Express, already operating on European routes;<ref name="fsitaliane.it"/>
  • Express and historic trains, with the express trains of the 1980s and 1990s being redeveloped and modernized in the railway workshops of Rimini, while the historic trains are used for journeys that include stops with guided tours and tastings;<ref name="fsitaliane.it"/>
  • Regional trains, also with trips that include experiential tourist stops, which pass through places rich in history, with villages and areas of landscape, naturalistic, food and wine and agri-food interest.<ref name="fsitaliane.it"/>

FundingEdit

The Italian railways are partially funded by the government, receiving €8.1 billion in 2009.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Categories and types of trainsEdit

Template:See also These are the major service categories and models of Italian trains.

  • L'ETR.675 n. 14 alla stazione di Roma Termini.jpg

    Italo operates on main High-Speed lines by NTV. Makes a few stops in the most important cities.

  • ETR.600 Frecciarossa.jpg

    Frecciarossa operates on High-Speed lines by Trenitalia. Makes a few stops in major cities.

  • Venetië Frecciargento High Speed 11a uit Rome (10668443663).jpg

    Frecciargento operates on High-Speed lines by Trenitalia. Makes some stops in big cities.

  • Trenitalia Frecciabianca.jpg

    Frecciabianca operates on main lines by Trenitalia. Stops in big cities.

  • E.464.340 corsa prova Roma Ostiense.jpg

    Intercity operates on main lines by Trenitalia. Stops in big cities.

  • ETR 610 "Cisalpino due".jpg

    Eurocity, formerly Cisalpino, operates on international main lines within the European Union by Trenitalia. Stops in big cities.

  • FS Vivalto 20 at Venezia Santa Lucia train station.jpg

    RegionaleVeloce operates on regional lines in a region or in adjacent regions by Trenitalia. Stops in the main stations of the local service.

  • Roma - stazione Termini - ETR.425.jpg

    Regionale operates on regional lines by Trenitalia. Stops in every station of the local service.

  • Trenord R3 009 2011.jpg

    Regio-Express operates on regional lines by Trenord. Stops in some stations of the local service.

  • Logo on Stadler BTR.813.jpg

    RegionaleVeloce as operates in the Aosta Valley by Trenitalia

  • ETR 521 Rock con leone S. Marco 2.jpg

    RegionaleVeloce as operates in Veneto by Trenitalia

  • Bruneck ETR155-003 20100717Y673a.jpg

    Regionale as operates in Trentino-Alto Adige by SAD

  • FLIRT a Venezia Mestre.jpg

    Regionale as operates in some lines of Veneto by Sistemi Territoriali (ST)

  • FUC ATR 110 002 Cividale stazione 20120414.JPG

    Regionale as operates in Friuli-Venezia Giulia by Società Ferrovie Udine-Cividale (FUC)

  • Pesa - ATR220.019 a Nardò.jpg

    Regionale as operates in Apulia by Ferrovie del Sud Est (FSE)

Main stationsEdit

See alsoEdit

Template:Portal

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

BibliographyEdit

Template:Refbegin

Template:Refend

External linksEdit

Template:Sister project Template:Wikivoyage

Template:Rail transport in Europe Template:Italy topics Template:Authority control

Retrieved from "https://zalansite.site/mediawiki/index.php?title=Rail_transport_in_Italy&oldid=728961"