Roma Tiburtina railway station

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 redeveloped to better serve as a hub for the Italian high-speed rail services. The station is connected to Rome's Metro line B at Tiburtina metro station, as well as to local bus services via an adjacent bus depot while private vehicle users are provided with more than 100,000 spaces across multiple on-site car parks.

Roma Tiburtina
Location	Piazzale Stazione Tiburtina 00100 Roma RM Italy
Coordinates	41°54′37″N 12°31′51″E
Owned by	Rete Ferroviaria Italiana
Operated by	Grandi Stazioni
Line(s)	Firenze–Roma Roma–Pescara
Distance	4.505 km (2.799 mi) from Roma Termini
Platforms	20[1]
Connections	Underground Line B Bus stop Taxi Stand
Construction
Architect	Paolo Desideri (2011 building) [1]
History
Opened	1866
Rebuilt	28 November 2011
Electrified	3,000 V
Location
Roma Tiburtina Location in Rome Roma Tiburtina Location in Lazio Roma Tiburtina Location in Italy

Roma Tiburtina was originally opened in 1866, only three years after the first (temporary) Roma Termini. It was originally known as Portonaccio station, but all usage of this name has since been depreciated. During the 1930s, work was undertaken to expand the station, this included the development of a new main building. A rebuild was undertaken shortly after the end of the Second World War as a result of damage sustained from aerial bombing missions. During 1990, an adjoining metro station was opened, providing further means of local transit for passengers. Since the late 1990s, Roma Tiburtina station has been managed by Grandi Stazioni, a wholly owned entity of the Italian state railway operator Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane.

Between 2007 and 2011, Roma Tiburtina was subject to an extensive redevelopment programme, during which much of the original station building and infrastructure were demolished and replaced, and new on-site facilities established. A major advantage of the redesigned station in terms of high-speed services is that it is a through station, meaning trains travelling from Turin/Milan to Naples/Salerno do not have any need to turn around. Officially inaugurated in November 2011, the new facility is dedicated to the traditional regional trains and to the high-speed rail services on the Milan-Naples line. The new station is expected to reach a daily ridership of over 450,000 by 2015.[2][3] The station is served by 140 high-speed trains and 290 regional trains every day.[3]

History

Construction and early operations

What would later become known as Roma Tiburtina station was first opened in 1866, only three years after the opening of Rome's first major railway station, Roma Termini.[4] Located in the eastern portion of the city, the station was one of the largest railway stations to have ever been constructed in Italy.[5] During its early years, the station was originally known as Portonaccio.[6]

During the 1930s, it was decided to expand the station via the construction of a new main building.[6] As a result of repeated aerial bombardments of the city during the Second World War, the station suffered extensive damage, including to the recently completed main building. Accordingly, this building would be later rebuilt, albeit in a simplified configuration, during the immediate post-war years.[6] Since the late 1990s, Roma Tiburtina station has been managed by Grandi Stazioni, a wholly owned entity of the Italian state railway operator Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane.[5] While Roma Tiburtina station is regarded as being a heavily trafficked transit hub, even greater passenger numbers have been recorded at the more centrally located Termini.[7]

In October 2003, Sally Baldwin, a visiting British University professor, was killed at the station when an escalator fell apart and a hole suddenly appeared beneath her feet.[8][9] A local train driver, 38, who had attempted to rescue her also lost a leg; a third person was also seriously injured from falling into the mechanism. An inquiry was launched the next day by local magistrates into the incident; the escalator had been subject to recent maintenance work and safeguards intended to prevent its activation did not apparently work.[9]

Redeveloped station

During summer 2004, it was announced that plans were prepared for a major upgrade of the station;[10] a major goal of the renovations and redevelop work was to properly establish Roma Tiburtina as a capable transport hub for the expanding Italian high speed rail services.[5] At this point, work was scheduled to commence in 2007 and the project was expected to have a total cost of €155 million.[11] The project was only one element of the wider Trans-European Transport Network initiative conducted by the European Union.[5] The redeveloped station was designed by architect Paolo Desideri, while the responsibility for managing both the design and construction phases resided with the Gemmo Railway Division,[12] which also administered electrical and mechanical systems as well as the project's technical and financial aspects. During December 2007, demolition of the old station building commenced.[5]

An ETR 500 high speed train at the station

As designed, the new Roma Tiburtina takes the form of a large bridge spanning across the railway lines and connecting between the Nomentano and Pietralata districts.[5][13] It is an enclosed glazed parallelepiped structure, with a length of 240 metres, a width of 50 metres, and suspended 9 metres above ground level. The interior space is divided into eight separate rooms suspended from the roof.[5] The suspension of the main structure offers several advantages, including a greater level of isolation from the noise and vibration generated by the passage of trains beneath it. The ground level platforms are connected to the suspended rooms above via an assortment of 29 escalators and 52 elevators.[5]

The local railway infrastructure was also extensively changed, a total of 20 new high speed and high capacity tracks were laid in the station area, along with improvements to security systems and miscellaneous passenger-facing service infrastructure.[5] The adjacent squares located at either side of the entrances to the station were intentionally developed to accommodate various new areas, including a railway office, a new metro line, a bus terminal, a shopping centre, offices and parking spaces; reportedly, in excess of 100,000 parking spaces were added along with various private access roads. By December 2010, the northern tracks and rail yard had been fully constructed and associated control equipment installed in a centralised traffic control center.[5]

Overhead view across multiple tracks and platforms at Roma Tiburtina, 2011

In the early hours of 24 July 2011, a fire broke out in the relay room on the west side of the station.[14] As a result, serious and unavoidable disruption to services occurred, including a temporary partial closure of Metro line B, between Castro Pretorio and Monti Tiburtini.[15] The fire damaged equipment within the relay room, rendering the majority of controls for nearby tracks and traffic signals alike unusable, leaving a vital part of the Italian rail network disabled; reportedly, this led to significant train delays throughout the country.[16][17][18] Furthermore, the damage to the structure had reportedly rendered the station building in danger of collapse; due to the impact of the fire, further problems and service delays that occurred for many months afterwards were attributed to the accident.[16]

On 28 November 2011, following three years of construction work, the new station was officially inaugurated and dedicated to Cavour. By the end of the project, the total construction costs had almost doubled from the original projected figure to around €330 million.[19] It is believed that roughly 13,400 tonnes of steel and 95,000 cubic metres of concrete was used during the station's construction.[5] The completed station is expected to handle around 300,000 passengers per day.[20]

Train services

Stazione di Roma Tiburtina Cavour

Location of Roma Tiburtina and other major stations in Rome

The station is served by the following services (incomplete):[21]

• High speed services (Frecciarossa) Turin - Milan - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples - Salerno
• High speed services (Italo) Turin - Milan - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples - Salerno
• High speed services (Frecciarossa) Venice - Padua - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples - Salerno
• High speed services (Italo) Venice - Padua - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples - Salerno
• High speed services (Frecciargento) Trieste - Venice - Padua - Bologna - Florence - Rome
• High speed services (Frecciargento) Udine - Treviso - Venice - Padua - Bologna - Florence - Rome
• High speed services (Frecciargento) Venice - Padua - Bologna - Florence - Rome
• High speed services (Frecciargento) Venice - Padua - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Fiumicino Airport
• Intercity services Milan - Parma - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples
• Night train (Intercity Notte) Turin - Milan - Parma - Rome - Naples - Salerno
• Night train (Intercity Notte) Turin - Milan - Parma - Florence - Rome - Salerno - Lamezia Terme - Reggio di Calabria
• Night train (Intercity Notte) Turin - Milan - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples - Salerno - Lamezia Terme - Reggio di Calabria
• Regional services (Treno regionale) Orte - Fara Sabina - Rome - Fiumicino Airport
• Regional services (Treno regionale) Rome - La Rustica - Funghezza - Guidonia - Tivoli
• Regional services (Treno regionale) Rome - Cesano di Roma
• Regional services (Treno regionale) Rome - Tivoli - Celano - Pratola Peligna - Pescara
• Regional services (Treno regionale) Florence - Montevarchi - Arezzo - Orte - Rome
• Regional services (Treno regionale) Ancona - Foligno -Terni - Orte - Rome

Preceding station		Trenitalia		Following station
Firenze Santa Maria Novella toward Torino Porta Nuova		Frecciarossa		Roma Termini toward Salerno
Firenze Santa Maria Novella toward Venezia Santa Lucia		Frecciarossa		Roma Termini toward Salerno
Firenze Santa Maria Novella toward Trieste Centrale		Frecciargento		Roma Termini Terminus
Firenze Santa Maria Novella toward Udine		Frecciargento		Roma Termini Terminus
Firenze Santa Maria Novella toward Venezia Santa Lucia		Frecciargento		Roma Termini Terminus
Firenze Santa Maria Novella toward Venezia Santa Lucia		Frecciargento		Roma Termini toward Fiumicino Aeroporto
Orte toward Milano Centrale		InterCity		Latina toward Napoli Centrale
Orte toward Perugia		InterCity		Roma Termini Terminus
Orte toward Torino Porta Nuova		Intercity Notte		Napoli Centrale toward Salerno
Firenze Campo di Marte toward Torino Porta Nuova		Intercity Notte		Salerno toward Reggio di Calabria Centrale
Firenze Campo di Marte toward Torino Porta Nuova		Intercity Notte		Latina toward Reggio di Calabria Centrale
Roma Nomentana toward Orte		Treno regionale		Roma Tuscolana toward Fiumicino Aeroporto
Terminus		Treno regionale		Roma Prenestina toward Tivoli
Terminus		Treno regionale		Roma Tuscolana toward Cesano di Roma
Terminus		Treno regionale		Bagni di Tivoli toward Pescara Centrale
Orte toward Firenze Santa Maria Novella		Treno regionale		Terminus
Orte toward Ancona		Treno regionale		Roma Termini Terminus
Preceding station		Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori		Following station
Firenze Santa Maria Novella toward Torino Porta Susa		Italo		Napoli Centrale toward Salerno
Firenze Santa Maria Novella toward Torino Porta Susa		Italo		Roma Termini toward Salerno
Firenze Santa Maria Novella toward Torino Porta Susa		Italo		Roma Ostiense Terminus
Firenze Santa Maria Novella toward Venezia Santa Lucia		Italo		Napoli Centrale toward Salerno
Firenze Santa Maria Novella toward Venezia Santa Lucia		Italo		Roma Ostiense Terminus

Interchanges

• Tiburtina station on Line B on the Rome Metro.
• 62 - 71 - 111 - 111F - 120F - 135 - 163 - 168 - 211 - 309 - 409 - 441 - 448 - 490 - 492 - 495 - 545 - 548 - 649 - nMB - n409 - n041 - C2 - C3
• Suburban buses (Cotral)
• Regional trains of Lazio Regional Railways
• Regional train to Rome Fiumicino Airport
• Bus shuttle to Rome Fiumicino Airport and Rome Ciampino Airport

The station also features a large and important bus station that serves both national and international destinations, such as Kiev.[22]

See also

• Roma Termini
• Roma Ostiense
• History of rail transport in Italy
• List of railway stations in Lazio
• Rail transport in Italy
• Railway stations in Italy
• High-speed rail in Italy
• Treno Alta Velocità

References

1. "Tiburtina, via alla nuova stazione il primo hub per l'Alta velocità" [Tiburtina, a new station for the new High Speed hub]. la Repubblica (in Italian). Rome. 28 November 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
2. "Roma Tiburtina (quasi) completa" [Rome Tiburtina (semi) complete]. CityRailways (in Italian). 28 November 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
3. Fulloni, Alessandro (28 November 2011). "Tiburtina, 140 treni al giorno per l'Alta Velocità: 330 milioni di costi, 20 binari e 50mila mq" [Tiburtina, 140 trains per day for High Speed: 330 million cost, 20 tracks and 50 thousand square meters]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Milan. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
4. "Lavori per la Nuova Tangenziale Est di Roma e Stazione Tiburtina" [Construction for the New Connection East of Rome, called the Circonvallazione Interna and the New Tiburtina Station]. Alessandro Carafa Jacobini. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
5. "Roma Tiburtina Railway Station, Rome." railway-technology.com, Retrieved: 30 June 2018.
6. "About us." stazioneromatiburtina.it, Retrieved: 30 June 2018.
7. "Rome Termini Railway Station." rome.net, Retrieved: 30 June 2018.
8. Bradshaw, Jonathan. "Sally Baldwin." The Guardian, 31 October 2003.
9. Johnston, Bruce (29 October 2003). "British professor dies as escalator collapses at Italian rail station". The Daily Telegraph. London.
10. "Nuova Stazione Alta Velocità Di Roma Tiburtina" [Tiburtina, New High Speed Station of Rome] (in Italian). Europaconcorsi. 14 June 2004. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
11. "Stazione Tiburtina al via i cantieri dell'Alta Velocità" [Tiburtina Station Highway construction sites are coming]. CorriereRomano (in Italian). 2 October 2007. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
12. "M&E systems (including low current) made by Gemmo Company." Gemmo SpA, 28 November 2011.
13. "Roma Tiburtina Railway Station." meweng.com, Retrieved: 30 June 2018.
14. "Rome train station fire frustrates travellers". CTV News. Associated Press. 24 July 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
15. "Incendio Roma Tiburtina, riaperta in parte metro B". Cronaca (in Italian). Rome. 24 July 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
16. "Spento l'incendio alla stazione Tiburtina Nel caos l'intera rete ferroviaria". Corriere Della Sera (in Italian). Rome. 24 July 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
17. "Caos Tiburtina, ritardi in tutta Italia". Corriere Della Sera (in Italian). 24 July 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
18. "Incendio Stazione Tiburtina, caos trasporti Stop treni e metro, ipotesi dolo". Il Messaggero (in Italian). Rome. 24 July 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
19. Evangelisti, Mauro (28 November 2011). "Roma, domani apre la stazione Tiburtina Quartiere blindato, traffico a rischio". Il Messaggero (in Italian). Rome. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
20. Boccacci, Paolo (11 June 2011). "Ecco la Nuova Stazione Tiburtina un drago per 300 mila passeggeri" [Here is the New Tiburtina Station a dragon for 300,000 passengers]. La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 3 September 2017.
21. NTV train timetables
22. "Bus charter da Roma Tiburtina a Kiev" (in Italian). Voli Charter 24. 24 October 2010. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2011.

External links

Media related to Roma Tiburtina railway station at Wikimedia Commons