Pistoia–Bologna Railway
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The Pistoia–Bologna railway is an Italian railway connecting
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 ...
to
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 ...
and was the first line through the
Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...
between
Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
and
Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...
. It is also known in
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 ...
as the Ferrovia Porrettana (Porrettana Railway, named after the
spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...
town of
Porretta Terme Porretta Terme ( Bolognese: ''Puratta'') is a town of the Reno Valley Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Alto Reno Terme, Emilia-Romagna. Porretta Terme is located about south-west of Bologna. Known since Roman times fo ...
) or the Transappenninica ("trans-Apennines"). It was officially called the Strada ferrata dell'Italia Centrale (Central Italy Railway) and was officially inaugurated by King
Victor Emmanuel II Victor Emmanuel II (; full name: ''Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso di Savoia''; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878) was King of Sardinia (also informally known as Piedmont–Sardinia) from 23 March 1849 until 17 March ...
in 1864. At the time it was an enormous engineering project with its 47 tunnels and 35 bridges and viaducts, with a total length of 99 km. The most difficult section was the 14 km stretch between
Pracchia Pracchia is an Italian village and hamlet (''frazione'') of the municipality of Pistoia, in the province of Pistoia, Tuscany. In 2011 it had a population of 268. History Due to its position, the village hosted a customs between the Grand Duchy of ...
and Pistoia, which had a drop of 500 metres. The project was put in the charge of the French engineer Jean Louis Protche who solved the problem by designing a spiral tunnel between Piteccio and Corbezzi. This solution was then used for the construction of the Gotthard Tunnel. In
Porretta Terme Porretta Terme ( Bolognese: ''Puratta'') is a town of the Reno Valley Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Alto Reno Terme, Emilia-Romagna. Porretta Terme is located about south-west of Bologna. Known since Roman times fo ...
a square was dedicated to Protche and Victor Emmanuel II, who opened the line. It was
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 ...
on the
three-phase Three-phase electric power (abbreviated 3ϕ) is a common type of alternating current (AC) used in electricity generation, Electric power transmission, transmission, and Electric power distribution, distribution. It is a type of polyphase system ...
system (3,700 V at 16.7 Hz) in 1927 and re-electrified with 3,000 V DC in 1934.


History

In the second half of nineteenth century the
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 ...
had an extensive rail network that had grown to 225 km: the Leopolda 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 ...
,
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
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 ...
, the
Maria Antonia railway Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...
connecting Florence,
Prato Prato ( ; ) is a city and municipality (''comune'') in Tuscany, Italy, and is the capital of the province of Prato. The city lies in the northeast of Tuscany, at an elevation of , at the foot of Monte Retaia (the last peak in the Calvana ch ...
and Pistoia, the Pisa–Lucca railway and the
Central Tuscany railway Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
between
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
Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...
. In this period construction began on the line from Pistoia to Lucca and studies for lines linking and
Chiusi Chiusi ( Etruscan: ''Clevsin''; Umbrian: ''Camars''; Ancient Greek: ''Klysion'', ''Κλύσιον''; Latin: ''Clusium'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy. History Clusium (''Clevsin or Camars'' in Etruscan) ...
and Florence and Bologna through a pass over the
Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...
to connect Florence with the north-south railways of Italy. In 1845 Cini, an engineer of
San Marcello Pistoiese San Marcello Pistoiese was a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pistoia in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about northwest of Pistoia. It has been a frazione of San Marcello Piteglio since 2017. His ...
and Ciardi an engineer of Prato, each presented project proposals for the crossing of the Apennines. The line proposed by Cini started from Pistoia, up the
Ombrone The Ombrone (Latin: ''Umbro'') is a river situated in the provinces of Grosseto and Siena, central Italy. The Ombrone's source is at San Gusmè, near Castelnuovo Berardenga, on the south-eastern side of the Monti del Chianti. After a twistin ...
at a gradient of up to 20 per thousand to the district of San Felice. From there it would climb the foothills of the Apennines for 16 km with grades of 12 to 25 per thousand and a 2,700 metre long tunnel through the mountains to
Pracchia Pracchia is an Italian village and hamlet (''frazione'') of the municipality of Pistoia, in the province of Pistoia, Tuscany. In 2011 it had a population of 268. History Due to its position, the village hosted a customs between the Grand Duchy of ...
. From Pracchia to Bologna the line would follow the course of the
Reno river The Reno () is a river of Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, northern Italy. At ,Reno
. The proposed route would have been tortuous but Cini was mainly interested in promoting the interests of Pistoia by connecting Pracchia with Pistoia. Ciardi challenged Cini’s proposal and contended that a railway through the Apennines should be designed to be part of the Italian national rail network that was forming at the time and this meant making the carriage of freight cheaper and transport travelers heading north faster. To do this, the line should have low grades and be as short as possible between Florence and Bologna. Ciardi, abandoned his first proposal for a route across the Apennines along the valleys of the Bisenzio,
Setta *Brandon Setta, American musician from band Nothing *Morena Silva de Vaz Setta Baccarin, or Morena Baccarin, American actress *Nick Setta, former professional Canadian football placekicker and punter *Salli Setta, American restaurateur and busin ...
and Reno rivers, in places with grades over 12 per thousand. He proposed a second route with lower grades and 14 km shorter than the proposed Porrettana. The new route would pass through the Apennines at Gravigno, near Cantagallo at 480 meters
above mean sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...
with a 4 km long tunnel and a maximum gradient of 12 per thousand. This route was similar to the Bologna–Florence Direttissima route finally opened in 1934. The prospect of a choice of routes that would lead to the increased importance for Pistoia or Prato triggered a competition between the two cities. Tilting the balance, however, was
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
’s military interest in a fast connection with the port of Livorno and its belief that Pistoia was a militarily strategic point. Austria therefore preferred Porrettana and lobbied
Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany Leopold II, , English: ''Leopold John Joseph Francis Ferdinand Charles''. (3 October 1797 – 29 January 1870) was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1824 to 1859. He married twice; first to Maria Anna of Saxony, and after her death in 1832, to Mari ...
who was obliged to support the Austrian interests. In 1849 Leopold II was restored to power by Austrian troops and they occupied Tuscany until 1855. The first agreement on the railway was signed in Rome in 1851. The contract for the Porrettana line was concluded on 26 January 1852 in Modena. In the following years the Bologna–Pistoia railway was delayed by the argument between the supporters of the two routes. On 14 March 1856, an agreement was signed in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
between the Austrian Empire, the Duchy of Parma and Modena, The Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the
Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...
for the construction of the ''Central Italian Railway'' (Italian: ''Strada Ferrata dell'Italia Centrale'') from
Piacenza Piacenza (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Piacenza, eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with more ...
to Pistoia, with a branch to
Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...
and anticipating strategic links with the existing lines of
Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...
and
Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...
and extensions to
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. This was a strategic plan specifically intended to promote military interests.


Construction

In 1856 after a series of works had been carried out in a manner that was not consistent with the purpose of building the railway, the project was entrusted to a company with capital subscribed by French, English and Italian shareholders. It was directed by the French surveyor Jean Louis Protche, who oversaw the entire project and solved the problem of crossing the Apennines with a 2,727 metre long curved tunnel, often cited as an example of technique and daring and a prelude to the most famous application of spiral tunnels on the Gotthardbahn. The last stretch between Pracchia and Pistoia was inaugurated on 2 November 1864. The building of the Porrettana line represented a major step forward, but it was soon clear it was already inadequate for its task. The completion of the work confirmed Ciardi’s predictions that it would be long and expensive; it had 49 tunnels and grades of up to 26 per thousand. The total final cost was higher than that of the Fréjus line. Four years earlier, Austria had lost its hegemony over Italy, and therefore the military purposes for which the line had been intended had gone. Its use for the carriage of goods and passengers between north and south immediately showed that the line lacked capacity and had many other problems. Between Pistoia and Pracchia, among other things, the line was only able to handle 27 trains per day. A few years after its opening the best mountain climbing locomotives some could haul 160 tons over the line between Florence and Bologna in 3½ hours, but the line had a capacity of only 3,000 tons of freight each day. Initially the line was limited to two pairs of trains each day. The promotion of tourism in the mountains that Pistoia sought from the Porrettana line could not be achieved because of the increasing use of transit traffic for goods heading north and south did not allow the development of local passenger services, except at the
spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...
town of
Porretta Terme Porretta Terme ( Bolognese: ''Puratta'') is a town of the Reno Valley Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Alto Reno Terme, Emilia-Romagna. Porretta Terme is located about south-west of Bologna. Known since Roman times fo ...
. The line was absorbed by the Upper Italian Railways on its establishment on 1 July 1865. This was taken over by the Mediterranean Network on 1 July 1885. The Porrettana railway is a single track line from Bologna to Pistoia, where it connected to the Pistoia–Prato–Florence line, a total of 131 km. The locomotive depot at Florence Santa Maria Novella station provided locomotives for the moderate climb to Pistoia, where an additional locomotive was attached to push trains up the section of maximum grade from Pistoia to Pracchia. The Apennines tunnel was very inconvenient for passengers and drivers because of the suffocating smoke of uphill trains that penetrated everywhere. Ventilation shafts and fans were installed subsequently, but did not solve the problem. In addition there were problems with braking on the grades and the weather also created difficulties. Despite the problems, traffic soon reached high levels. During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
traffic reached its highest level, with 70 trains in 24 hours. Teams of drivers were stationed on horseback at the exit of the main tunnels, ready to jump on the trains as it crept up from Pistoia in order to take over from semi-asphyxiated drivers if necessary. In 1927 finally came the move to
three-phase Three-phase electric power (abbreviated 3ϕ) is a common type of alternating current (AC) used in electricity generation, Electric power transmission, transmission, and Electric power distribution, distribution. It is a type of polyphase system ...
electric traction (3,700V at 16.7 Hz). Due to its heavy traffic, the first experiment in Italy on centralized train dispatching began on the Porrettana line in 1927. Traffic on the line had reached its limit. Work had started on the Bologna–Florence line, known as the Direttissima, in 1913. On 22 April 1934 after much effort, it was finally opened to traffic, so the Porrettana line was relegated to handle local traffic only, with five pairs of trains each day. During the retreat from the
Gothic Line The Gothic Line (; ) was a German and Italian defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of the Apennine Mountains du ...
in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the
German army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
systematically destroyed structures, buildings and everything that could be useful to the enemy. Between Bologna and Pracchia 29 bridges, eight tunnels, 10 stations, 45 signal boxes and 52 km of track were blown up. It also crashed two locomotives loaded with explosives in the main tunnel. The line was rebuilt in record time and was reopened from Bologna to Pracchia on 5 October 1947 and between Pracchia and Pistoia on 29 May 1949. The line is still maintained only for local traffic.


Length and date of opening of individual sections

*Bologna–
Vergato Vergato ( Medial Mountain Bolognese: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southwest of Bologna. Vergato borders the following municipalities: Castel d'Aiano ...
, 39 km, 18 August 1862 *Vergato–Pracchia, 35 km, 1 December 1863 *Pracchia–Pistoia, 25 km, 2 November 1864


Features

*Length: 99 km single track. *Grades: ** Pistoia–Pracchia section: average gradient of 22 per thousand, up 26 per thousand at Valdibrana station; **Pracchia–Porretta section: average gradient of 17 per thousand, up to 25 per thousand between
Ponte della Venturina Granaglione is a town in the ''comune'' of Alto Reno Terme, in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, central Italy. It was a separate ''comune'' until January 2016, when it merged with Porretta Terme Porretta Terme ( Bolognese: ''Puratta'') is a tow ...
and Molino del Pallone; ** Porretta–Bologna section: average gradient of 5 per thousand, up to 11 per thousand. *Tunnels: 48 totaling 18.480 kilometres: **Vaioni tunnel, 533 metres, curve radius of 350 m, ** Piteccio-Vignacce-Fabbian tunnel complex, 1,708 m radius curves 300 m; **Apennine tunnel 2,727 m with a gradient of 24.43 per thousand; ** Casale tunnel 2,622 m ** Riola tunnel 1,834 m. *Bridges and viaducts: 64 with a total length of 2.240 km *Level crossings: 29 *Stations: 13 attended and 3 unattended *Electric traction, 3,000 V DC.


Notes


References

*


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Porrettana railway Railway lines in Emilia-Romagna Railway lines in Tuscany Railway lines opened in 1864