The Pisa–Lucca railway ( Italian: Ferrovia Pisa-Lucca) is a line that was built in 1846 connecting the Tuscan cities of

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

and Lucca. It is fully electrified at 3,000 V DC. Passenger traffic is managed by

Trenitalia Trenitalia is the primary train operator in Italy. A subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, itself owned by the Italian government, the company was established in 2000 following a European Union directive on the deregulation of rail transp ...

History

The development of a proposal in 1838 to construct a railway between

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

and

(which led to the building of the Leopolda railway between 1844 and 1848) inspired interest in Lucca in a railway to stimulate economic development. The

Duke of Lucca The Duchy of Lucca was a small Italian state existing from 1815 to 1847. It was centered on the city of Lucca. By the Congress of Vienna of 1815 the Duchy was to revert to Tuscany on the end of its Bourbon-Parma line of rulers or when the line wou ...

agreed in 1841 to the formation of a railway company to construct a railway between Lucca and Pisa. Over half the route was in

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany ( it, Granducato di Toscana; la, Magnus Ducatus Etruriae) was an Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In th ...

, so its agreement was also necessary. It was decided to build the line from a station just outside Lucca’s walls to a temporary station outside Pisa’s Porta a Lucca (the Lucca gate in Pisa’s wall), in order to avoid building a bridge over the

Arno The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a s ...

river. The terminus was subsequently moved to Porta Nuova where it became known as Pisa San Rossore station. The first 8 km of the line were opened on 26 June 1846 between Lucca and

Ripafratta Ripafratta is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of San Giuliano Terme, province of Pisa. At the time of the 2001 census its population was 628.San Giuliano Terme on 29 September and Pisa on 15 November 1846, when regular train services commenced. At the time it was one of the first international railways in the world (although the Cologne–Aachen railway had been extended across the German-Belgian border in 1843), but it lost this status in the following year when the

Duchy of Lucca The Duchy of Lucca was a small Italian state existing from 1815 to 1847. It was centered on the city of Lucca. By the Congress of Vienna of 1815 the Duchy was to revert to Tuscany on the end of its Bourbon-Parma line of rulers or when the line wou ...

was annexed by Tuscany. From its earliest days it was not a profitable railway and was declared bankrupt in 1854 and an auction was arranged for 1858 to sell its assets. Meanwhile in pursued a merger with the Leopolda railway, which was finally achieved in 1859, creating the ''Strade Ferrate Livornesi'' (''Livorno railway''). This company was absorbed into the

Società per le Strade Ferrate Romane ''Società'' (Italian: ''Society'') was an Italian communist cultural magazine published in Italy between 1945 and 1961. History and profile ''Società'' was founded as a quarterly magazine in Florence in 1945. The founders were Ranuccio Bianchi ...

(''Roman Railways'') in 1865. The Lucca–Pisa line was taken over by the Adriatic Network during the reorganisation of 1885, giving it a connection from

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

and Florence to

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...

via Lucca and

Pistoia Pistoia (, is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typi ...

. The competing Mediterranean Network, established at the same time, was assigned the route from Florence to Livorno via

Empoli Empoli () is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy, about southwest of Florence, to the south of the Arno in a plain formed by the river. The plain has been usable for agriculture since Roman times. The comm ...

and

Collesalvetti Collesalvetti is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Livorno in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southwest of Florence, northeast of Livorno and only south from Pisa. Geography Collesalvetti borders the following municipalit ...

. Both networks became part of the national railways,

Ferrovie dello Stato Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane S.p.A. ( "Italian Railways of the State"; previously only Ferrovie dello Stato, hence the abbreviation FS) is Italy's national state-owned railway holding company that manages transport, infrastructure, real estat ...

, in 1905. The line was electrified in 1960 at 3,000 V DC.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pisa-Lucca railway Railway lines in Tuscany Railway lines opened in 1846 1846 establishments in Italy

History

Notes

See also

References