Terni–Sulmona railway

The Terni–Sulmona railway is a regional railway line in central Italy, managed by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana. It links three regions, Umbria, Lazio and Abruzzo, and three provincial capitals: Terni, Rieti and L'Aquila. Together with the Sulmona–Isernia railway it forms a north–south corridor through the Apennines in central Italy. Its route is the result of two unfinished railways that had to meet in Rieti: the Pescara–L'Aquila–Rome line, and the Terni–Avezzano–Roccasecca line.

Terni–Sulmona railway
Overview
StatusFunctioning
OwnerRete Ferroviaria Italiana
Line number107
LocaleItaly
TerminiTerni railway station
Sulmona railway station
Stations20
Service
TypeHeavy rail
Operator(s)Trenitalia (L'Aquila–Sulmona route)
Umbria Mobilità (former Ferrovia Centrale Umbra, Terni–L'Aquila route)
Rolling stockFCU ALn 776 (Terni–L'Aquila route), Pesa Atribo "Swing" (L'Aquila–Sulmona route)
History
Opened30 October 1883 (1883-10-30)
Technical
Line length164 km (102 mi)
Number of tracksSingle track
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrificationnone
Operating speedvaries from 110 km/h (68 mph) to 55 km/h (34 mph)
Highest elevation989.28 m (3,245.7 ft)
Maximum incline3.5 %
Map of the railway with stations
km
elev[1]
from Ancona
231.158
 Terni
128 m
UM line to Perugia
to Rome
Nera
227.581
 Terni Cospea
(opened 1938)[2]
125 m
224.555
P.M. Stroncone crossing loop
(opened 1996)[3]
222.866
 Stroncone
(closed 2014)[4]
238 m
215.943
 Marmore
374 m
Velino
213.393
 Piediluco
(closed 1980)[note 1]
374 m
Umbria
Lazio
border
210.440
 Labro-Moggio
(opened 1936)[note 2]
374 m
 LC over the SS 79 bis (Ternana)
204.820
 Greccio
376 m
201.819
 Terria
(1935[note 3]–2014)[4]
374 m
198.887
 Contigliano
393 m
196.623
 Poggio Fidoni
(opened 1937)
402 m
unrealised extension from
Passo Corese and Roma
191.700
Velino
190.279
 Rieti
391 m
 Santa Rufina[note 4]
unrealised Rieti-Avezzano railway
181.182
 Cittaducale
401 m
178.117
 Cotilia
(1939[11]–2014)[4]
405 m
175.360
 Sorgenti del Peschiera
(opened 1955)[note 5]
409 m
172.864
 Castel Sant'Angelo
419 m
171.162
 Canetra
(opened 1938)[14]
420 m
Velino
167.075
 Antrodoco-Borgo Velino
473 m
Velino
166.293
 Antrodoco Centro
(opened 1956)[note 6]
479 m
164.841
 LC over SS4 Salaria
unrealised extension to
Ascoli Piceno and San Benedetto
Velino
158.364
 Rocca di Fondi
685 m
152.278
 Rocca di Corno
880 m
Lazio
Abruzzo
border
147.149
 Sella di Corno
989 m
142.742
 Vigliano d'Abruzzo
(opened 2014)[4]
852 m
139.721
 Scoppito
(1947[17]–2005)[note 7]
730 m
135.863
 Sassa-Tornimparte
664 m
134.388
 L'Aquila Sassa N.S.I.
(opened 2017)[18]
131.008
 L'Aquila Campo di Pile
(opened 2017)[19]
A24
unrealised line from Carsoli and Roma
SIA line from Capitignano (closed 1935)
and unrealised line from Giulianova
FS-SIA link
127.930
 L'Aquila / L'Aquila
620 m
Aterno
122.227
 Bazzano
(opened 2017)[19]
120.370
 Paganica
594 m
117.990
 L'Aquila San Gregorio
(opened 2017)[18]
117.620
 San Gregorio
(1938–1962)
584 m
 Fossa
(1905[note 8]–1964)[note 9]
573 m
112.330
 San Demetrio de' Vestini
573 m
 Villa Sant'Angelo
(1920[note 10]–2005)[note 7]
557 m
106.795
 Fagnano-Campana
557 m
101.786
 Fontecchio
527 m
98.059
 Tione degli Abruzzi
(opened 1936)[28]
515 m
96.292
 Beffi
495 m
91.213
 Acciano
468 m
86.471
 Molina-Castelvecchio Subequo
449 m
 SS5 Tiburtina Valeria
(≈200 m)
78.252
 Raiano
397 m
A25 – E80
71.901
Pratola Peligna Superiore
(opened 1921)[note 11]
362 m[note 12]
Sulmona
(old, closed 1888)
to Pescara
67.660
 Sulmona
(opened 1888)
348 m
to Rome
to Isernia
km
Source: Italian railway atlas[32]

History
The first locomotive reaches the Antrodoco-Borgo Velino railway station, circa 1882 or 1883

After the Italian unification and the widespread start of railway constructions, many talks started about how to link the Abruzzo region to its new capital, Rome. It was decided that the railway would start from Pescara, reach Sulmona and L'Aquila, then cross the Apennine Mountains at the Sella di Corno pass and then reach Rieti, where the line had to continue towards Rome. Rieti also should have been the starting point of a branch to Avezzano, that – together with the Avezzano–Roccasecca railway – would have linked Abruzzo with the railway to Naples, which was Abruzzo's capital under the Kingdom of Two Sicilies.

However the unsolved Roman question threatened to interrupt railway service between the then-capital Florence and the then-biggest city Naples, and to protect its military and strategic interests the Italian government urged the construction of an alternative route from Florence to Naples that didn't enter the Papal States, which could be created with a new railway between Terni and Roccasecca, passing through Rieti and Avezzano. So it was decided that the Pescara–Rieti line should have continued towards Terni, and not towards Rome as per initial project.

Construction was started in 1871 by Società per le Strade Ferrate Meridionali in Pescara; by 1873 the line was completed to Sulmona and by 1875 it was completed to L'Aquila.[33] Then the work stopped because of the building company's perplexity: even if it was possible to reach Rome from Terni, via the Ancona–Orte railway, Strade Ferrate Meridionali thought that a railway from Terni to Rieti would be less useful for the needs of the company and of Abruzzese people than a railway from Rome to Rieti.

ALn 556 diesel multiple unit near a level crossing in Onna in the 1960s

An agreement was reached in 1879, when Public Works Ministry Baccarini granted Strade Ferrate Meridionali to build another railway to satisfy the need of connecting Abruzzo to Rome (the Rome-Sulmona railway) but tied the company to finish the former line till Terni. Work restarted and the line was soon completed, even if the most mountainous region of the track was involved (the Apennine Mountains that divide Abruzzo and Lazio, and the drop of altitude near the Marmore falls). The Pescara-Sulmona-Terni line opened on October 30, 1883.[33]

The line's importance as the primary means of transport between Abruzzo and Rome, however, lasted five years: in 1888, the Rome-Sulmona railway was opened and all trains from Abruzzo's Adriatic shore to Rome were diverted on the newer, shorter line. As most trains starting from Sulmona were travelling from Pescara to Rome, except for some going to L'Aquila and Terni, the first part of the original Pescara–Terni line was officially detached and merged with the newer Rome-Sulmona; so the Roma-Sulmona line became the Roma-Sulmona-Pescara line, while the Pescara-Sulmona-Terni line became the Sulmona-Terni line.

At the start of 20th century the Avezzano–Roccasecca railway was built, but with the capture of Rome the government's strategic purposes ceased, so the Rieti–Avezzano railway was never built and the Terni–Roccasecca route remained unfinished.

ALn 668 3307 diesel multiple unit at L'Aquila railway station in 1996

On October 3, 1936, a severe accident happened near Contigliano, in which two trains collided head-on, resulting in several deaths and many injured, among which the entire L'Aquila Calcio football team. Many players were killed and most couldn't play football again; the team was relegated and never recovered its lost position.

In the 1930s steam locomotives were dismissed and faster ALn 56 and ALn 556 diesel multiple units (DMU) were introduced; in the 1980s these were replaced with ALn 668 3300 series.

In 1905 all Italian railways were nationalized and Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane took control of the Terni–Sulmona railway. In 2008 Trenitalia, the passenger division of Ferrovie dello Stato, put out passenger services on the Terni–L'Aquila route entrusting Ferrovia Centrale Umbra for the service (now Umbria Mobilità, part of the Busitalia group). Ferrovia Centrale Umbra operates his services using FCU ALn 776 diesel multiple units; Trenitalia still operates the L'Aquila–Sulmona route, and in 2016 it introduced the new Pesa Atribo "Swing" DMUs replacing ALn 668s.[34]

Features
Altimetry of the line (metres above sea level)

The railway line is graded by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana as a secondary, low-traffic line.[35]

It is a single-track railway for its entire extension, and it is not electrified,[36] so it is run with diesel multiple units: currently FCU ALn 776 (on the Terni-L'Aquila route) and Pesa Atribo "Swing" (on the L'Aquila-Sulmona route).

The line features some of the most steep climbs of the standard gauge, non-rack Italian rail system: from the Antrodoco-Borgo Velino station until the Sassa-Tornimparte station, where the line crosses the Apennine Mountains that divide Lazio from Abruzzo, it has a steepness of 35‰; the highest point of the line is the Sella di Corno railway station, at 989.28 metres on the sea level. From the Terni station until the Marmore station the line climbs the drop of altitude near the Marmore falls with a steepness of 30‰.

Railway viaduct in the San Venanzio canyon, near Castelvecchio Subequo

Maximum allowed speeds vary for each stretch of the line; the highest is 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph), which is reached in the straight and flat stretch between Contigliano and Marmore, while the lowest is 55 kilometres per hour (34 mph), which is reached in the winding trait between Antrodoco and Rocca di Fondi, at the start of the Apennine pass.[37]

Signalling on the line is operated by Centralized traffic control[38] while safety is assured by Sistema Supporto Condotta[39] and by automatic axle-counting block system;[40] installation of these systems took place from 1989 to 1993.

The line has 20 stations, leaving stops out:

References

Notes
  1. Listed in 1979-80 winter timetable,[5] but not in summer 1980 timetable.[6]
  2. Listed in 4 October 1936 timetable,[7] but not in 1 December 1936 timetable.[8]
  3. Not listed in 14 September 1935 timetable,[9] but listed in 1 December 1935 timetable.[10]
  4. Designed, but never built.
  5. Not listed in 15 November 1954 timetable,[12] but listed in 1 March 1955 timetable.[13]
  6. Not listed in 1 November 1955 timetable,[15] but listed in 3 June 1956 timetable.[16]
  7. Listed in 11 December 2004 timetable,[26] but not listed in 11 December 2005 timetable.[27]
  8. Not listed in 1 February 1905 timetable,[20] but listed in 25 June 1905 timetable.[21]
  9. Not listed in 31 May 1964 timetable,[22] but listed in 27 September 1964 timetable.[23]
  10. Not listed in 1 March 1920 timetable,[24] but listed in 1 October 1920 timetable.[25]
  11. Not listed in 1 March 1921 timetable,[29] but listed in 1 November 1921 timetable.[30]
  12. Google Earth data. The altitude reported in Cioci[31] is incorrect.

Footnotes
  1. Cioci 1989, pp. 65, 66, 71.
  2. Ordine di Servizio (in Italian). Ferrovie dello Stato (56). 1938.CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  3. "Ferrovia automatizzata". I Treni. XVII (173): 8–9. July–August 1996.
  4. Circolare Territoriale (in Italian). RFI - dipartimento di Ancona (13). 1 September 2014.CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  5. "Winter 1979-80 timetable". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  6. "Summer 1980 timetable". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  7. "Timetable of 4 October 1936". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  8. "Timetable of 1 December 1936". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  9. "Timetable of 14 September 1935". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  10. "Timetable of 1 December 1935". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  11. Ordine di Servizio (in Italian). Ferrovie dello Stato (106). 1939.CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  12. "Timetable of 15 November 1954". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  13. "Timetable of 1 March 1955". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  14. Ordine di Servizio (in Italian). Ferrovie dello Stato (27). 1938.CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  15. "Timetable of 1 November 1955". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  16. "Timetable of 3 June 1956". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  17. Ordine di Servizio (in Italian). Ferrovie dello Stato (85). 1947.CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  18. Circolare Territoriale (in Italian). RFI - dipartimento di Ancona (8). 11 June 2017.CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  19. Circolare Territoriale (in Italian). RFI - dipartimento di Ancona (27). 2017.CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  20. "Timetable of 1 February 1905". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  21. "Timetable of 25 June 1905". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  22. "Timetable of 1 February 1905". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  23. "Timetable of 27 September 1964". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  24. "Timetable of 1 March 1920". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  25. "Timetable of 1 October 1920". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  26. "Timetable of 11 December 2004". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  27. "Timetable of 11 December 2005". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  28. Ordine di Servizio (in Italian). Ferrovie dello Stato (50). 1936.CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  29. "Timetable of 1 March 1921". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  30. "Timetable of 1 November 1921". Fondazione FS Italiane. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  31. Cioci 1989, p. 134.
  32. Railway Atlas 2017, pp. 65, 66, 71.
  33. Prospetto cronologico 1927.
  34. "L'Aquila-Sulmona, ora si viaggia con i treni Swing". Il Centro - edizione L'Aquila (in Italian). 26 January 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  35. "Prospetto Informativo della Rete 2014 - edizione ottobre 2015 - Planimetria classificazione Commerciale Rete in esercizio" (PDF). Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (in Italian). Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  36. "La rete oggi in: Lazio". Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (in Italian). December 2014. Retrieved 2016-01-31. (PDF)
  37. Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (2003). "Fascicolo orario linea 107" (in Italian).
  38. "Prospetto Informativo della Rete 2014 - edizione ottobre 2015 - Planimetria sistemi di esercizio" (PDF). Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (in Italian). Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  39. "Prospetto Informativo della Rete 2014 - edizione ottobre 2015 - Planimetria sistemi tecnologici di sicurezza" (PDF). Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (in Italian). Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  40. "Prospetto Informativo della Rete 2014 - edizione ottobre 2015 - Planimetria regimi di circolazione" (PDF). Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (in Italian). Retrieved 2016-02-01.

Sources

See also

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