Rail transport in Italy
| Italy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Operation | |
National railway | Ferrovie dello Stato |
Major operators | Trenitalia (national) .italo (national) Trenord (local) EAV (local) Trenitalia Tper (local) Ferrovie del Sud Est (local) Mercitalia (freight) |
| Statistics | |
| Ridership | 883.3 million (2019)[1] |
| System length | |
| Total | 16,832 km (10,459 mi)[2] |
| Double track | 7,734 km (4,806 mi)[2] |
| Track gauge | |
| Main | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | |
3 kV DC | conventional lines[2] |
25 kV AC | high-speed lines[2] |
The Italian railway system is one of the most important parts of the infrastructure of Italy, with a total length[3] of 24,567 km (15,265 mi) of which active lines are 16,832 km (10,459 mi).[2] 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. In 2024, the Italian national rail service Trenitalia was recognized as the best rail passenger operator in Europe.[4]
The network
[edit]
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 19,394 km (12,051 mi), of which 18,071 km (11,229 mi) standard gauge. The active lines are 16,723 km (10,391 mi),[2] of which 7,505 km (4,663 mi) are double tracks.[2] Italy has 2,507 people and 12.46 km2 per kilometre of rail track, giving Italy the world's 13th-largest rail network.[5]
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 6,460 km (4,010 mi) 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 950 km (590 mi).[2]
Most of the Italian network is electrified (11,921 km (7,407 mi)). The electric system is 3 kV DC on conventional lines and 25 kV AC on high-speed lines.[6]
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.[7] 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.[8]
Companies certified to run railways in Italy are:
- From 2000
- Ferrovie dello Stato S.p. A.
- Trenitalia S.p. A.
- From 2001
- Metronapoli S.p. A.
- Ferrovie Nord Milano Esercizio S.p. A.
- Rail Traction Company S.p. A.
- From 2002
- Del Fungo Giera Servizi Ferroviari S.p. A.
- Gruppo Torinese Trasporti S.p. A.(ex SATTI)
- SERFER Servizi Ferroviari S.r.l.
- Hupac S.p. A.
- From 2003
- Ferrovie Emilia Romagna S.r.l.
- La Ferroviaria Italiana S.p. A.
- Cargo Nord S.r.l.
- Ferrovie Adriatico Sangritana S.r.l.
- Sistemi Territoriali S.p. A.
- Strade Ferrate del Mediterraneo S.r.l.
- Swiss Rail Cargo Italy S.r.l.
- From 2004
- SBB Cargo Italia S.r.l.
- Ferrovie Nord Cargo S.r.l.
- Azienda Consorziale Trasporti di Reggio Emilia
- Ferrovia Alifana e Benevento Napoli S.r.l.
- Ferrovie Nord Milano Trasporti S.r.l.
- From 2005
- Trasporto Ferroviario Toscano S.p. A. (La Ferroviaria Italiana S.p. A.)
- Ferrovie Centrali Umbre S.r.l.
- Railion Italia S.r.l. (ex S.F.M.)
- Rail One S.p. A.
- Azienda Trasporti Collettivi e Mobilità S.p. A.
- A.T.C. Bologna S.p. A.
- Monferail S.r.l.
- From 2006
- SAD - Trasporto Locale S.p.A.
- Nord Cargo S.r.l. (ex Ferrovie Nord Cargo S.r.l.)
- Arenaways S.p.A.
History
[edit]
The first line to be built on the peninsula was the Naples–Portici line, in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which was 7.64 km (4.75 mi) long and was inaugurated on 3 October 1839, nine years after the world's first "modern" inter-city railway, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.[10] The following year the firm Holzhammer of Bolzano was granted the "Imperial-Royal privilege" to build the Milano–Monza line (12 km (7.5 mi)), the second railway built in Italy, in the then Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, a part of the Austrian Empire.[11]
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.[12] 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 10,557 km (6,560 mi) of lines, of which it already owned 9,686 km (6,019 mi). The move was completed the following year with the acquisition of the remaining SFM network: by then FFSS possessed 13,075 km (8,124 mi) of lines, of which 1,917 km (1,191 mi) with double tracks.[13]
The period from 1922 to 1939 was heavy with important construction and modernisation programmes for the Italian railways, which also incorporated 400 km (250 mi) from the Ferrovie Reali Sarde of Sardinia. The most important programme was that of the Rome–Naples and Bologna–Florence direttissimas ("very 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, under the Apennines.[14] 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 165 km/h (105 mph), with a top speed of 203 km/h (126 mph).[15] 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 20,000 km (12,000 mi) 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.[16] 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),[17] 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 rail
[edit]
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The Italian high-speed service began in 1938 with an electric-multiple-unit ETR 200, designed for 200 km/h (120 mph), between Bologna and Naples. It too reached 160 km/h (99 mph) in commercial service, and achieved a world mean speed record of 203 km/h (126 mph) 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 200 km/h (125 mph), while an ALe 601 electrical multiple unit (EMU) reached a speed of 240 km/h (150 mph) during a test. Other EMUs, such as the ETR 220, ETR 250 and ETR 300, were also updated for speeds up to 200 km/h (125 mph). 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 5,375-metre-long (3.340 mi) 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 300 km/h (190 mph). Since then, it is possible to travel from Turin to Salerno (ca. 950 km (590 mi)) in less than 5 hours. More than 100 trains per day are operated.[22]
Other proposed high-speed lines are Salerno-Reggio Calabria[23] (connected to Sicily with the future bridge over the Strait of Messina[24]), Palermo-Catania[25] and Naples–Bari.[26]
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 300 km/h (185 mph) on dedicated high-speed tracks; Frecciargento (Silver arrow) trains operate at a maximum of 250 km/h (155 mph) on both high-speed and mainline tracks; Frecciabianca (White arrow) trains operate at a maximum of 200 km/h (125 mph) on mainline tracks only.[27]
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;[28] 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 [29] and 33 Italo [30] round-trip high-speed trains every weekday that cover this route,
Night trains
[edit]
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.
Trenitalia operates many night trains within Italy, under the brand Intercity Notte.[31] Routes include connections between the Northern Italian cities of Turin, Milan, and Trieste, to Rome and further to Southern Italian cities such as Lecce or Palermo and Syracuse in Sicily. The trains offer standard seats as well as modern couchettes and sleeping compartments.
Intercity trains
[edit]
_in_2023.01.jpg)
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.
Regional trains
[edit]
Trenitalia operates regional services (both fast veloce RV and stopping REG) throughout Italy.
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.
- Campania: Ente Autonomo Volturno (EAV) operates most regional and metropolitan rail services in Campania. EAV runs the Naples metropolitan railway service, including the Circumvesuviana lines (connecting Naples with Vesuvio-area towns such as Pompei, Ercolano, Sorrento and Sarno), the Cumana and the Circumflegrea railways. It also operates regional lines outside the metropolitan area, including the Alifana railway, the Benevento–Cancello railway.
- Trentino-Alto Adige / Trentin-Südtirol: Südtirol Bahn (lit. 'South Tyrol Railway') 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.
Stations
[edit]
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 | 150[32] | 32 | Rome | Lazio |
| 2 | Milano Centrale | 145[33] | 24 | Milan | Lombardy |
| 3 | Torino Porta Nuova | 70[34] | 20 | Turin | Piedmont |
| 4 | Firenze Santa Maria Novella | 59[35] | 19 | Florence | Tuscany |
| 5 | Bologna Centrale | 58[36] | 28 | Bologna | Emilia-Romagna |
| 6 | Roma Tiburtina | 51[37] | 20 | Rome | Lazio |
| 7 | Napoli Centrale | 50[38] | 25 | Naples | Campania |
| 8 | Milano Cadorna | 33.1[39] | 10 | Milan | Lombardy |
| 9 | Venezia Mestre | 31[40] | 13 | Venice | Veneto |
| 10 | Venezia Santa Lucia | 30[40] | 16 | Venice | Veneto |
Rapid transit
[edit]Metro
[edit]
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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.[41] 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 | 3 | 36.4 | 31 | 1993 |
| Rome | Rome Metro | 3 | 60 | 75 | 1955 |
| Turin | Turin Metro | 1 | 15.1 | 23 | 2006 |
Commuter rail
[edit]
15 cities have commuter rail systems; cities without wikilink are those listed just above for their metro rail system.
- Bari (Bari metropolitan railway service, 3 lines)
- Bologna (Bologna metropolitan railway service, 8 lines)
- Cagliari, 1 line
- Catanzaro, 2 lines
- Genoa (Genoa urban railway service, 3 lines)
- Messina, 1 line
- Milan (Milan suburban railway service, 12 lines)
- Naples (Naples metropolitan railway service, 8 lines)
- Palermo (Palermo metropolitan railway service, 2 lines)
- Perugia, 1 line
- Potenza, 1 line
- Reggio Calabria, 1 line
- Rome (FL lines, 8 lines)
- Salerno (Salerno metropolitan railway service, 1 line)
- Sassari, 4 lines
- Turin (Turin metropolitan railway service, 8 lines)
Airport shuttles
[edit]
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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
Tram
[edit]
11 cities have tram system:
Tram-train
[edit]
2 cities have tram-train system, Rome and Sassari. The Rome–Giardinetti railway connects Laziali (a regional train station some 800 metres (2,625 ft) from Termini's main concourse) with Giardinetti to the east just past the Grande Raccordo Anulare, Rome's orbital motorway.[43] It is run by ATAC, the company responsible for public transportation in the city, which also operates the Rome Metro.[44] 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.[45] The line had been due to be dismantled in 2016 to be replaced with a bus lane along Via Casilina,[46] but in March 2015 it was announced that the line would instead be retained and modernised.[47]
Metrosassari,[48][49] also called Sassari tramway, Sassari tram-train or Sassari metro-tramway (Italian: Metrotranvia di Sassari or Italian: Metropolitana leggera di Sassari) is the commercial name of a tram-train[50][51][52] 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 950 mm (