Narrow gauge railways in Italy
Most narrow gauge railways in Italy were built with Italian metre gauge, which is actually 950 mm (3 ft 1 3⁄8 in) because historically the Italian track gauge was defined from the centres of the rail instead of the internationally accepted method of measuring the gauge from the inside edges of the rails. Several metre gauge lines were built in northern Italy.
123 km 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge (123 km electrified); 1,290 km 950 mm (3 ft 1 3⁄8 in) gauge (151 km electrified); 231 km 850 mm (2 ft 9 15⁄32 in) gauge (2008)[1]
1200 mm gauge
1,200 mm (3 ft 11 1⁄4 in) narrow gauge railways in Italy are:
1100 mm gauge
The temporary Mont Cenis Railway (1868–1871) was 1,100 mm (3 ft 7 5⁄16 in) gauge.
Metre gauge lines (1000 mm)
- Domodossola–Locarno railway between Domodossola, and Locarno, Switzerland.
- Ferrovia Genova–Casella in Genoa, Liguria.
- Laas-Lasa freight private railway to a marble cave, that uses a funicular.
- Mendel Funicular connecting the Überetsch plateau with the Mendel Pass.
- Trieste–Opicina tramway, with a funicular, in the city of Trieste.
- Rittnerbahn, or Ferrovia del Renon. in South Tyrol.
- Trento–Malè–Marilleva railway In Trentino only the lines from Trento to Malè and Marilleva are still operated by Trentino Trasporti. Recently the line has been renovated and extended to Fucine.
Italian metre gauge lines (950 mm)
Most in Southern Italy
Calabria
In Calabria there is the Catanzaro Lido-Catanzaro-Cosenza line, with a branch to Camigliatello Silano, and two lines from Gioia Tauro. All are owned by Ferrovie della Calabria.
Naples area
- Circumvesuviana in the Eastern quadrant of the metropolitan area of Naples, connecting Naples and Sorrento, around the base of Mt. Vesuvius,
Rome
The Rome–Fiuggi railway is a former railway built on the east part of Rome, Italy. It consisted of a 78.1 kilometers (48.5 mi) long narrow gauge 950 mm (3 ft 1 3⁄8 in) line from Rome to Fiuggi.
Sardinia
In Sardinia, a network of narrow gauge lines (950 mm/3 ft 1 3⁄8 in) was built, to complement the standard-gauge main network which covered the main cities and ports. The lines were:
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Of the lines which are still present, only
still carry regular passenger services, operated by Ferrovie della Sardegna (Railways of Sardinia). The others only operate a scenic tourist service known as Trenino Verde (little green train) In Sassari, the Sassari Tram-train links the railway station with the city centre.
Sicily
In Sicily, the Ferrovia Circumetnea railway runs around the Mount Etna. Other 950 mm (3 ft 1 3⁄8 in) narrow gauge lines of Ferrovie dello Stato operated, but are now closed. The last of which was the Castelvetrano-Porto Empedocle, closed in 1985.
South-Eastern Italy
In the Apulia and Basilicata regions, there are some railway lines connecting Bari, Potenza, Matera, and Avigliano. These are operated by Ferrovie Apulo Lucane.
850 mm gauge line
- Menaggio–Porlezza railway in the northern Italian province of Como, closed in 1939.
Bosnian gauge lines (760 mm)
- In Istria, a 760 mm (2 ft 5 15⁄16 in) narrow gauge railway line called Parenzana was built from Trieste – Capodistria now Koper Slovenia – to Parenzo now Poreč Croatia (dismantled 1935).
- Val Gardena Railway in the Dolomites of northern Italy, closed in 1960.
Decauville gauge (600 mm)
In South Tyrol there are two tourist lines using 600 mm (1 ft 11 5⁄8 in) gauge trains.
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Organ, John (2012). Italy Narrow Gauge: The Dolomites to Calabria. Narrow Gauge Branch Lines series. Midhurst, West Sussex, UK: Middleton Press. ISBN 9781908174178.
- Organ, John (2013). Sardinia and Sicily Narrow Gauge: Scenic Rail Journeys on the Italian Islands. Narrow Gauge Branch Lines series. Midhurst, West Sussex, UK: Middleton Press. ISBN 9781908174505.
External links
Media related to Narrow gauge railways in Italy at Wikimedia Commons