The Pisa–Lucca railway (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

: Ferrovia Pisa-Lucca) is a line that was built in 1846 connecting the Tuscan cities of

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) 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 the Leaning Tow ...

and

Lucca Città di Lucca ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its Province of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...

. It is fully

electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. In the context of history of technology and economic development, electrification refe ...

at 3,000 V DC. Passenger traffic is managed by

Trenitalia Trenitalia Società per azioni, SpA is the primary train operator of Italy. A subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, itself owned by the Italian government. It was established in 2000 following a European Union directive on the deregulati ...

History

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

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

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. History The Duchy was formed in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, out of the former Republic of Lucca and the Principality of Lucca ...

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 (; ) was an Italian monarchy located in Central Italy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population ...

, 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 sou ...

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. The line reached

San Giuliano Terme San Giuliano Terme is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pisa in the Italian region Tuscany, located about west of Florence and about northeast of Pisa. Main sights The area of the Pisa hills was already an attraction for enlighten ...

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. History The Duchy was formed in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, out of the former Republic of Lucca and the Principality of Lucca ...

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 The Società per le strade ferrate romane (''Roman Railways'', SFR) was an Italian railway company from 1865 to 1885. History 1860 The ''Società Generale delle Strade Ferrate Romane'' (Italian: ''General Roman Railways'') was formed in 1860 from ...

(''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 ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

and Florence to

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...

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 north-west of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typic ...

. 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 River, Arno in a plain formed by the river. The plain has been usable for agriculture since Ancient Ro ...

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. (; ; previously only Ferrovie dello Stato, hence the initialism FS) is Italy's national state-owned enterprise, state-owned railway holding company that manages transport, infrastructure, real estate service ...

, 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