The Naples–Salerno high-speed railway line (also known in Italian as the Linea a Monte del Vesuvio, meaning the "line up Mount Vesuvius") is a link in the Italian high-speed rail network opened in June 2008. The line is one of the new high-speed lines being built to strengthen rail transport system in Italy and in particular freight and passenger transport in Campania. The line is part of Corridor 1 of the European Union's

Trans-European high-speed rail network The Trans-European high-speed rail network (TEN-R), together with the Trans-European conventional rail network, make up the Trans-European Rail network, which in turn is one of a number of the European Union's Trans-European transport networks ( ...

, which connects Berlin and

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

Route and features

The infrastructure of the new line was completed in April 2008 with its electrification, which operates at 3 kV DC, not the 25 kV AC used on most new high-speed railways in Italy. It became available for training in May 2008 and for public operations in the following month. The line allows the reduction of congestion of rail traffic on the Naples–Salerno coast line, as trains can travel on the new line. The new line starts at ''Roma Est'' junction, which allows trains from the Rome–Naples high-speed line to continue south on a branch to ''Casoria'' junction where there is a link with the main rail node of Naples. The line passes the towns of Volla, Pomigliano d'Arco,

Sant'Anastasia Sant'Anastasia ( nap, Santa Nastàsë) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about northeast of Naples. Sant'Anastasia borders the following municipalities: Casalnuovo di Napoli ...

Somma Vesuviana Somma Vesuviana is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. History Before the Roman colonisation, the area of today's Somma Vesuviana was probably inhabited by Italic peoples like Samnites and Oscans ...

, Nola, Ottaviano,

San Gennaro Vesuviano San Gennaro Vesuviano is a comune and town located in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, in southern Italy. Geography San Gennaro Vesuviano is located in the country-side area around Nola (the so-called “agro Nolano") approximately 25 ...

, Palma Campania,

Poggiomarino Poggiomarino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 25 km east of Naples. History Poggiomarino originated from the construction the canal "Conte di Sarno", begun in 1592 ...

and

Striano Striano ( la, Histrianus) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. Striano borders the following municipalities: Palma Campania, Poggiomarino, San Giuseppe Vesuviano, San Valentino Torio (SA ...

, through a series of small cut-and-cover tunnels and elevated sections, reaching the commune of

San Valentino Torio San Valentino Torio is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-west Italy. San Valentino Torio is situated in the northern part of the province, not far from Mount Vesuvius, in the Sarno river valley. S ...

, where it is currently connects at ''Sarno'' junction to the end of the line from Sarno. The Italian government announced in an economic statement in July 2004 that a future high-capacity line would be built from the end of the line at San Valentino Torio to Battipaglia to create a four-track line through Salerno to

Battipaglia Battipaglia () is a municipality (''comune'') in the province of Salerno, Campania, south-western Italy. Famed as a production place of buffalo mozzarella, Battipaglia is the economic hub of the Sele plain. History Formerly part of the ancien ...

as part of a project to build a high-capacity trunk line to

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 ...

. The new line has allowed high-speed trains to avoid Naples since the opening of the section from ''Roma Est'' junction to the new Napoli Afragola station in June 2017. From June 2008, most Trenitalia Eurostar Italia, Intercity and Intercity Plus trains between Naples and Salerno were routed over the new line, allowing an increase in commuter trains on the old coast line under a project to develop a Campania "regional metro".

Proposed new Vesuvio Est interchange station

The Region of Campania and Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI, the owner of the rail network) have identified the site for the construction of a new passenger station called "Vesuvio Est" ( Vesuvius East) in the commune of

, which will allow passengers to interchange with the

Circumvesuviana Circumvesuviana () is a railway network in the east of the Naples metropolitan area, previously run by a company of the same name, now operated by Ente Autonomo Volturno. Electrically powered throughout, the system uses the narrow gauge of ...

Naples–Ottaviano–Sarno railway line. On 30 March 2007 an international competition was launched for the preliminary and final design of the station with a prize of €1,245,000. The estimated cost of the new station is €32.5 million and according to the agreement between Campania and RFI was planned to be completed in 2008 or 2009. The station will have an area of indoors and in total. Its catchment area will be the Agro Nocerino Sarnese area and the area south-east of Mount Vesuvius, which have a total population of 742,000. It will offer fast connections with Salerno and Naples and eventually with Rome, Battipaglia and Reggio di Calabria. RFI (Rete Ferroviaria Italiana) announced in 2010 January 22 that it had selected the Italian-Belgian group led by Samyn and Partners architects and engineers to design the proposed Vesuvio Est high speed station on the Napoli – Salerno route. According to RFI estimates, the new station will be served by about 196 trains a day (52 long distance trains and 144 Circumvesuviana trains, a train every 15 minutes) and will be used by about 10,000 passengers per day, including 2,000 in the peaks. It is expected that about 1,500 non-travellers will go to the station for other reasons as it is planned to provide space for commercial uses, banking, a post office and restaurants. It is proposed to build a 1,000 place car park and areas for taxis and buses to stop; there will also be a possible link with the A30 motorway and the SS268 highway.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naples-Salerno High-Speed Railway High-speed railway lines in Italy Railway lines in Campania Railway lines opened in 2008 2008 establishments in Italy