The Italian railway system is one of the most important parts of the

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...

of Italy, with a total length of of which active lines are 16,723 km. 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 The International Union of Railways (UIC, french: Union internationale des chemins de fer) is an international rail transport industry body. History The railways of Europe originated as many separate concerns, and there were many border chang ...

(UIC). The UIC Country Code for Italy is 83.

The network

'' RFI'' (''Rete Ferroviaria Italiana'', Italian Rail Network), a state owned infrastructure manager which administers most of the Italian rail infrastructure. The total length of ''RFI'' active lines is , of which are double tracks. 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 long; *''complementary lines'' (''complementari''), which have less traffic and are responsible for connecting medium or small regional centers. 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 . Most of the Italian network is electrified (). Electric system is 3 kV DC on conventional lines and 25 kV AC on high-speed lines. The Italian rail network comprises also other minor regional lines controlled by other companies, such as

Ferrovie Emilia Romagna Ferrovie Emilia Romagna (FER) is railway company serving the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy. The company also operates buses. The company was formed in 1997 by acquisition by the Emilia-Romagna region of four previous state-owned railway comp ...

and Ferrovie del Sud Est, for a total of

History

The first railway in Italy was the Napoli-Portici line, built in 1839 to connect the royal palace of

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...

to the seaside. After the creation of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...

in 1861, a project was started to build a network from the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, in order to connect the country. The first high-speed train was the Italian ETR 200, which in July 1939 went from

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

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 ...

at , with a top speed of . With this service, the railway was able to compete with the upcoming airplanes. The

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

stopped these services. After the Second World War, Italy started to repair the damaged railways, and built nearly of new tracks. Nowadays the rail tracks and infrastructure are managed by

Rete Ferroviaria Italiana Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) is the Italian railway infrastructure manager, subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), a state-owned holding company. RFI is the owner of Italy's railway network, it provides signalling, maintenance and other s ...

(RFI), while the train and the passenger section is managed mostly 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 ...

. Both are

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 ...

(FS) subsidiaries, once the only train operator in Italy.

High-speed rail

High-speed trains were developed during the 1960s. E444 locomotives were the first standard locomotives capable of top speed of , while an ALe 601

electrical multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number ...

(EMU) reached a speed of during a test. Other EMUs, such as the ETR 220, ETR 250 and

ETR 300 ETR may refer to: * East Turkestan Republic (disambiguation); first and second movements * Express Toll Route, in Canada; Ontario Highway 407 * Entergy Corporation; NYSE stock symbol * Edolo language; ISO language code * Etravirine, a drug used to s ...

, were also updated for speeds up to . 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. It included the 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

– (Bologna–Florence–Rome–Naples) –

Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

– (Milan–Verona–Venice) –

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into pr ...

and Milan–

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

. Most of the planned lines have already been opened, while international links with France, Switzerland,

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

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 . Other proposed high-speed lines are

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popul ...

, then connected to

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, and

Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Ital ...

Rail links to adjacent countries

All links have the same gauge. *

— voltage change 3 kV DC/15 kV AC *

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

— voltage change 3 kV DC/25 kV AC or 1.5 kV DC *

— same voltage *

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

— voltage change 3 kV DC/15 kV AC (plus two narrow gauge lines, same voltage) *

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

— no electrification *

San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

— closed, narrow gauge Stations on the border are: * Roma San Pietro is the border station of the Rome-Vatican City railway * Ventimiglia is the border station on the

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...

main line. *

Olivetta San Michele Olivetta San Michele (Royasc: , also lij, Aoriveta) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Imperia in the Italian region Liguria, located about southwest of Genoa and about west of Imperia, on the border with France. As of 31 Decem ...

and

Limone Piemonte Limone Piemonte (Vivaro-Alpine: ''Limon'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about south of Turin and about south of Cuneo, on the border with France. As of September 2017, it had a ...

on both sides of the Tenda Railway * Modane is the border station on the

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

main line ( Fréjus Tunnel

line Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Art ...

). * Domodossola is the border station of the

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...

main line (

Simplon Tunnel , it, Galleria del Sempione , line = Simplon line, (Lötschberg railway line) , location = Traversing the Lepontine Alps between Switzerland and Italy , coordinates = – , system = Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF ...

line). * Ribellasca is on the Vigezzina. *

Luino Luino (Western Lombard: ''Lüin'') is a small town and ''comune'' near the border with Switzerland on the eastern shore of Lake Maggiore, in the Province of Varese (Lombardy, northern Italy). Luino received the honorary title of city with a presi ...

is the border station of the Oleggio–Pino railway. *

Chiasso Chiasso (; lmo, Ciass ) is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. As the southernmost of Switzerland's municipalities, Chiasso is on the border with Italy, in front of Ponte Chiasso (a frazione of Co ...

is the border station of the

Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Z ...

main line ( Gotthard Tunnel line). * Tirano is the terminus on the Italian side of the Bernina line of the Rhätische Bahn. * Brenner is the border station of the

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol and the fifth-largest city in Austria. On the River Inn, at its junction with the Wipp Valley, which provides access to the Brenner Pass to the south, it had a p ...

main line ( Brenner railway). *

San Candido Innichen (; it, San Candido , lld, Sanciana) is a municipality in South Tyrol in northern Italy. It is located in the Puster Valley on the Drava River, about northeast of Bolzano, on Italy's border with Austria. It hosts Italy’s Internationa ...

is the border station of the Fortezza-

Lienz Lienz (; Southern Bavarian: ''Lianz'') is a medieval town in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It is the administrative centre of the Lienz district, which covers all of East Tyrol. The municipality also includes the cadastral subdivision of '' ...

secondary line. * Tarvisio Boscoverde is the border station of the Venezia-

Wien en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

main line (

Austrian Southern Railway The Austrian Southern Railway (german: link=no, Österreichische Südbahn) is a long double track railway, which linked the capital Vienna with Trieste, former main seaport of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, by railway for the first time. It no ...

line). * Gorizia Centrale station serves as link to the Slovenian Railways, through the station of

Nova Gorica A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramat ...

, which can be entered also directly by pedestrians from the Italian side. *

Villa Opicina Opicina (formerly Poggioreale del Carso in Italian), ( sl, Opčine, Triestine: ''Opcina''), is a town in northeastern Italy, close to the Slovenian border at Fernetti ( sl, Fernetiči). Opicina is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Trieste, th ...

(

) serves as link to the Slovenian Railways, through the stations of Sežana and Repentabor.

Subsidies

The Italian railways are partially funded by the government, receiving €8.1 billion of

rail subsidies Many countries offer subsidies to their railways because of the social and economic benefits that it brings. The economic benefits can greatly assist in funding the rail network. Those countries usually also fund or subsidize road construction, an ...

in 2009.

Categories and types of trains

These are the major service categories and models of Italian trains. File:Italo Evo in Venezia.jpg, Italo operates on main High-Speed lines by NTV. Makes a few stops in the most important cities. File:Elettrotreno ETR.400.jpg, Frecciarossa operates on High-Speed lines by

. Makes a few stops in major cities. File:Venetië Frecciargento High Speed 11a uit Rome (10668443663).jpg, Frecciargento operates on High-Speed lines by

. Makes some stops in big cities. File:Trenitalia Frecciabianca.jpg, Frecciabianca operates on main lines by

. Stops in big cities. File:FS E.401.025 Locomotive.jpg, Intercity operates on main lines by

. Stops in big cities. File:ETR 610 "Cisalpino due".jpg, Eurocity, formerly Cisalpino, operates on international main lines within the European Union by

. Stops in big cities. File:FS Vivalto 20 at Venezia Santa Lucia train station.jpg, RegionaleVeloce operates on regional lines in a region or in adjacent regions by

. Stops in the main stations of the local service. File:Roma - stazione Termini - ETR.425.jpg, Regionale operates on regional lines by

. Stops in every station of the local service. File:Trenord R3 009 2011.jpg, Regio-Express operates on regional lines by

Trenord Trenord is a railway company which is responsible for the operation of regional passenger trains in Lombardy. The company was established by the two main railway companies in Lombardy, Trenitalia and Ferrovie Nord Milano (FNM), to manage train o ...

. Stops in some station of the local service. File:Logo on Stadler BTR.813.jpg, RegionaleVeloce as operates in the

Aosta Valley , Valdostan or Valdotainian it, Valdostano (man) it, Valdostana (woman)french: Valdôtain (man)french: Valdôtaine (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = Official languages , population_blank1 = Italian French ...

by Trenitalia File:ETR 521 Rock con leone S. Marco 2.jpg, RegionaleVeloce as operates in

Veneto Veneto (, ; vec, Vèneto ) or Venetia is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about five million, ranking fourth in Italy. The region's capital is Venice while the biggest city is Verona. Veneto was part of the Roman Empire unt ...

by Trenitalia File:Bruneck ETR155-003 20100717Y673a.jpg, Regionale as operates in Trentino-Alto Adige by SAD File:FLIRT a Venezia Mestre.jpg, Regionale as operates in some lines of

by Sistemi Territoriali (ST) File:FUC ATR 110 002 Cividale stazione 20120414.JPG, Regionale as operates in

Friuli-Venezia Giulia (man), it, Friulana (woman), it, Giuliano (man), it, Giuliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_t ...

by Società Ferrovie Udine-Cividale (FUC) File:Pesa - ATR220.019 a Nardò.jpg, Regionale as operates in

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

by Ferrovie del Sud Est (FSE)

Main stations

File:Bari 2017 by-RaBoe 027.jpg, Bari Centrale,

File:Bologna-Stazione Centrale-DSCF7236.JPG, Bologna Centrale,

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 na ...

File:Stazione Santa Maria Novella 2.JPG, Firenze Santa Maria Novella,

File:Train station - Genoa Brignole.jpg, Genova Brignole,

File:Genova - stazione Principe - autobus.jpg, Genova Piazza Principe,

File:Piazzale Luigi Cadorna con la stazione delle Ferrovie Nord di Milano.jpg, Milano Cadorna,

File:Front view of Milan Stazione Centrale entrance portico.jpg, Milano Centrale,

File:Piazza garibaldi, napoli, veduta 2016, 00.jpg, Napoli Centrale,

File:StazioneFS Palermo.JPG, Palermo Centrale,

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its ...

File:Stazione di Roma Termini - panoramio.jpg,

Roma Termini Roma Termini (in Italian, ''Stazione Termini'') is the main railway station of Rome, Italy. It is named after the district of the same name, which in turn took its name from ancient Baths of Diocletian (in Latin, ''thermae''), whi ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

File:2013-06-15 Roma Stazione FS Tiburtina.jpg,

Roma Tiburtina Roma Tiburtina is the second largest railway station in Rome, after Roma Termini. Located in the north-eastern part of the city, it was originally constructed during the 1860s as a terminal station. In recent years, the station has been redevel ...

File:Trieste Centrale (IMG 20211010 115938).jpg, Trieste Centrale,

File:Porta Nuova Station Turin.jpg,

Torino Porta Nuova Torino Porta Nuova railway station is the main railway station of Turin, northern Italy. It is the third busiest station in Italy for passenger flow after Rome Termini and Milan Central, with about 192,000 journeys per day and 70 milli ...

File:Arriere-gare-torino-porta-susa.jpg,

Torino Porta Susa Torino Porta Susa is a railway station in Turin, northern Italy; it is the second busiest mainline station in the city, after Torino Porta Nuova railway station, Torino Porta Nuova. It is located in ''Corso England, Inghilterra''. History The s ...

File:Mestre train station.jpg, Venezia Mestre,

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

File:Venezia Santa Lucia Train Station R01.jpg, Venezia Santa Lucia,

File:Stazione Verona.jpg, Verona Porta Nuova,

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

RFI (Infrastructure manager)
Official website (Italian only)
Lyon Turin Ferroviaire

Railway Technology.com article
on Italian High Speed Rail, including NTV, Accessed 5 February 2008
Italian HS System
{{Authority control