Turin–Milan Railway
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The Turin–Milan railway is a major Italian railway that links the cities of
Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) 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 from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
and
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
. The railway is double track,
standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...
and fully electrified at 3 kV DC. It connects the cities of
Settimo Torinese Settimo Torinese () is a ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Turin, in Piedmont, Italy. The name ''settimo'' means "seventh", and it comes from the comune's distance from Turin, which is seven Roman miles. It is bordered by the other comuni of ...
,
Chivasso Chivasso (; ) is a communes of Italy, comune in the Metropolitan City of Turin, in the Italy, Italian region of Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin. Chivasso has a population of about 27,000. It is situated on the :wikt:left bank, left bank ...
,
Santhià Santhià (; or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Vercelli in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about northwest of Vercelli. Santhià is home to a historic carnival named the ''Carnevale Stori ...
,
Vercelli Vercelli (; ) is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around 600 BC. ...
,
Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...
,
Magenta Magenta () is a purple-red color. On color wheels of the RGB color model, RGB (additive) and subtractive color, CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located precisely midway between blue and red. It is one of the four colors of ink used in colo ...
and
Rho Rho (; uppercase Ρ, lowercase ρ or ; or ) is the seventeenth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 100. It is derived from Phoenician alphabet, Phoenician letter resh . Its uppercase form uses the same ...
. Since February 2006 high-speed trains have operated over the Turin–Milan high-speed line between Turin and Novara. The remainder of the high-speed line between Novara and Milan was opened in December 2009, when the Bologna–Florence high-speed line and the remaining sections of the Rome–Naples high-speed railway line and the Naples–Salerno high-speed line are opened, completing the high-speed network between Turin and
Salerno Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) 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 Naples. It is located ...
.


History


Construction and opening

The line was built by
Thomas Brassey Thomas Brassey (7 November 18058 December 1870) was an English civil engineering contractor and manufacturer of building materials who was responsible for building much of the world's railways in the 19th century. By 1847, he had built about o ...
under contract to the ''Società Vittorio Emanuele'' ("Victor Emmanuel Company", named in honour of
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 ...
, then king of
Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
and
Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...
) and opened between Turin and
Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...
on 20 October 1856 and extended to the
Ticino river The river Ticino ( , ; ; French and ; ) is the most important perennial left-bank tributary of the Po. It has given its name to the Swiss canton through which its upper portion flows. It is one of the four major rivers taking their source in t ...
—which formed the boundary between Piedmont and the
Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia The Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia (), commonly called the "Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom" (; ), was a constituent land (crown land) of the Austrian Empire from 1815 to 1866. It was created in 1815 by resolution of the Congress of Vienna in recogniti ...
(then part of the
Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
)—on 18 October 1858. The bridge over the river connecting to the existing railway from Milan at
Magenta Magenta () is a purple-red color. On color wheels of the RGB color model, RGB (additive) and subtractive color, CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located precisely midway between blue and red. It is one of the four colors of ink used in colo ...
was opened on 1 June 1859. Three days later the French-Sardinian army led by
Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
defeated the Austrians at the
Battle of Magenta The Battle of Magenta was fought on 4 June 1859 near the town of Magenta in the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, a crown land of the Austrian Empire, during the Second Italian War of Independence. It resulted in a French-Sardinian victory under ...
with the help of supplies brought by the new railway. This was a major step in the
unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...
. The line formed part of the
Società per le strade ferrate dell'Alta Italia The Società per le strade ferrate dell'Alta Italia (''Upper Italian Railways'', ''SFAI'') was an Italian railway company from 1865 to 1885. History It was established on 1 July 1865 with of line it acquired from the state railway of the Kingd ...
(''Upper Italian Railways'') from 1865 and the Società per le Strade Ferrate del Mediterraneo (''Mediterranean Railway Company'') from 1885.


In the twentieth century

Following the nationalisation of the railways, the line was incorporated into the state network and its operation was taken over by
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 ...
between 1905 and 1906. The line was severely damaged during the Second World War. In 1951, it was restored to operation, albeit temporarily, in some parts. The main line from
Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...
to
Rho Rho (; uppercase Ρ, lowercase ρ or ; or ) is the seventeenth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 100. It is derived from Phoenician alphabet, Phoenician letter resh . Its uppercase form uses the same ...
was electrified from the timetable change in May 1960. The missing section from Turin to Novara was electrified the following year and inaugurated on 4 June in the presence of the Minister of Transport
Giuseppe Spataro Giuseppe Spataro (12 June 1897 – 30 January 1979) was an Italian politician. Biography Spataro was born in Vasto, Italy to Anna and Alfonso Nasci, who were a high-class Italian family, in the urban center within the province Chieti. After ...
, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the unification of Italy. At the beginning of the 2000s, the management of the line passed to
Rete Ferroviaria Italiana Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) is the Italian railway infrastructure manager, subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS), a state-owned holding company. RFI is the owner of Italy's railway network, it provides signalling, maintenance an ...
.


Features

The line is double-track, electrified at 3,000 volts DC and
standard-gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...
with a length of . Its infrastructure manager, RFI classifies it as a "fundamental line". The line has five junction stations, Settimo,
Chivasso Chivasso (; ) is a communes of Italy, comune in the Metropolitan City of Turin, in the Italy, Italian region of Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin. Chivasso has a population of about 27,000. It is situated on the :wikt:left bank, left bank ...
,
Santhià Santhià (; or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Vercelli in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about northwest of Vercelli. Santhià is home to a historic carnival named the ''Carnevale Stori ...
,
Vercelli Vercelli (; ) is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around 600 BC. ...
and
Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...
. Lines branch off as follows: from Settimo to
Pont Canavese Pont Canavese is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italy, Italian region Piedmont, located about north of Turin. It occupies a small fluvial plain between the rivers Orco River, Orco and Soana (stream), Soana: i ...
; from Chivasso to Ivrea/Aosta,
Asti Asti ( , ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) of 74,348 inhabitants (1–1–2021) located in the Italy, Italian region of Piedmont, about east of Turin, in the plain of the Tanaro, Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and ...
and
Alessandria Alessandria (; ) is a city and commune in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. It is also the largest municipality of the region. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, ...
; from Santhià to Arona and
Biella Biella (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the northern Italy, Italian region of Piedmont, the capital of the Province of Biella, province of the same name, with a population of 44,324 as of 31 December 2017. It is located about northeast of ...
; from Vercelli to Casale and
Pavia Pavia ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, in Northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino (river), Ticino near its confluence with the Po (river), Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was a major polit ...
; and from Novara to
Biella Biella (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the northern Italy, Italian region of Piedmont, the capital of the Province of Biella, province of the same name, with a population of 44,324 as of 31 December 2017. It is located about northeast of ...
, Alessandria/Arona,
Domodossola Domodossola (; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in the region of Piedmont, northern Italy. It was also known as Oscela, Oscella, Oscella dei Leponzi, Ossolo, Ossola Lepontiorum, and Domo d'Ossola (due to it ...
and
Varallo Sesia Varallo Sesia (Piedmontese: ''Varal''), pronunciation (Vhuh-rahl-loh) commonly known as Varallo, is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Vercelli in the Piedmont region of Italy. It is situated in Valsesia, at above sea level and some north- ...
. The railway line is paralleled by the
Turin–Milan high-speed railway The Turin–Milan high-speed railway line is a link in the Italian high-speed rail network. It is part of Corridor 5 of the European Union's Trans-European high-speed rail network, which connects Lisbon and Kyiv. The section between Turin and No ...
, which crosses it several times during its journey, with connections at several points, including at: Torino Stura, Settimo,
Bianzè Bianzè is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Vercelli in the Italian region Piedmont, about northeast of Turin and about west of Vercelli Vercelli (; ) is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Prov ...
,
Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...
and Rho Fiera. Trains can reach a top speed of 160 km/h on most of the line and between
Magenta Magenta () is a purple-red color. On color wheels of the RGB color model, RGB (additive) and subtractive color, CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located precisely midway between blue and red. It is one of the four colors of ink used in colo ...
and
Pregnana Milanese Pregnana Milanese is a town located in the Metropolitan City of Milan, Lombardy, northern Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Pen ...
the speed limit is 180 km/h.


Operations

The line is used by freight and passenger trains of various categories, which are operated by various companies.
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 ...
operates the following services each day: * twenty pairs of fast regional trains between Turin and Milan; * regional trains on the Novara/Vercelli–Chivasso–Turin/
Ivrea Ivrea (; ; ; ) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley (part of the medieval Via Francigena), it straddles the Dora Baltea and is ...
route; * a pair of
InterCity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the train categories in Europe, classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to InterRegio, regional train, r ...
services between Turin and Milan; * two pairs of InterCity Night services between Turin and
Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...
. In addition six
TGV The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...
services a day are operated on the Milan–Turin–
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
route; The Novara–Milan section is also used by line S6 of the
Milan suburban railway service The Milan S Lines constitute the commuter rail system serving the metropolitan area of Milan, Italy. The system comprises 12 lines serving 124 stations, for a total length of 403 km. There are 415 trains per day with a daily ridership of a ...
, operated by
Trenord Trenord is a railway company which is responsible for the operation of regional and suburban passenger trains mainly in Lombardy. The company was established by the two main railway companies in Lombardy, Trenitalia and Ferrovie Nord Milano (FNM ...
, while the Chivasso–Turin section is used by line 2 of the Turin metropolitan railway service, operated by Trenitalia.


See also

*
List of railway lines in Italy This is a list of all railway lines in Italy. Active lines Managed by Ferrovie dello Stato High–speed lines * Turin–Milan * Milan–Verona (under construction) * Verona–Venice (under construction) * Venice–Trieste (planning p ...


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turin-Milan railway Railway lines in Lombardy Railway lines in Piedmont Railway lines opened in 1859 1859 establishments in Italy