The Rome–Ancona railway (or Ancona–Orte railway) is a rail line in central Italy connecting the city of Ancona with Orte, and therefore with the capital city, Rome. The line crosses the

Apennine Mountains The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...

from the Adriatic Sea to the Tyrrhenian Sea, passing through

Foligno Foligno (; Southern Umbrian: ''Fuligno'') is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clitunno river system. It is located so ...

, Spoleto, and Terni.

History

Plans for a railway line between Rome and the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...

coast began in 1846 in the

Papal state The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from ...

, after the death of Pope Gregory XVI, who strongly opposed rail. The construction of the new railway was authorized on 7 November 1846 by the new Pope Pius IX, to link Rome with the main port on the Adriatic sea, Ancona.Ministero del commercio e dei Lavori Pubblici, ''Ragguaglio di quanto è stato operato dal 1859 al 1863'' (railways section), Rome, Tipografia della Reverenda Camera Apostolica, 1864. The aim was also to reach Bologna and

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...

, and thus to connect the Papal state to

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

and Veneto railway network. The project was initially named ''Strada Ferrata «Pio Centrale»'' in honor of the Pope, but was finished only on 29 April 1866, under the newly born Kingdom of Italy. Works were slowed by the process of

Italian unification The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...

, lack of funds, and complications due to the difficult terrain. However, the partially completed line was opened since 1865, with trains operated by

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 ...

(''SSFR''). The line was interrupted by

Papal army The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

in 1870 in an attempt to fight back the Italian army invading Rome. The line was soon reactivated once Rome became capital of the Kingdom. The state took control of the line after the failure of ''SSFR''. The line was subsequently incorporated into the ''Adriatic network'' and managed by

Società Italiana per le strade ferrate meridionali ''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 ...

(Italian company for southern railways), which doubled tracks between Rome and Orte in 1890. The management of the line was moved to Ferrovie dello Stato (''FS'') in 1905. In 1907, the section between Ancona and Falconara Marittima was doubled. The electrification of the line was completed on 28 October 1935, and travel time fell from about 7 to 4 hours. The line was severely damaged during the Second World War and was completely reopened in 1946. File:Notificazione 7 novembre 1846 sulle concessioni ferroviarie.jpg, Act establishing the start of works, 7 November 1846 File:Indizione appalto materiali da costruzione per la linea Pio Centrale (1859).jpg, Tender for construction materials (1859) File:Orario ferrovia Roma-Ancona del 1866.jpg, Timetable from December 1866

Operation

Regional and Intercity trains are operated on the line by Trenitalia. The capacity is severely limited by single track sections. Of the total length of 299 km, 125 km are single track.

References

Notes

Footnotes

Sources