Italian railway news
News about railway, metro and tram infrastructure, operations, policy, projects and the supply industry in Italy, from Railway Gazette International.
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NewsRoma Line C extended to Colosseo under archaeological top-down approach
ITALY: A 3 km extension of Roma metro Line C was formally inaugurated on December 16, along with two new stations at Porta Metroni and Colosseo/Fori Imperiali.
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NewsContract awarded for Palermo tram extensions
ITALY: The city of Palermo has awarded a contract for the design and construction of tram extensions E1, E2 South, and F.
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NewsModalink joint venture to manage Antwerpen port terminal and foster links with southern Europe
EUROPE: Lineas and FS Logistix have launched the Modalink joint venture to manage terminal operations at the Belgian port of Antwerpen, and are to develop intermodal connections to and from Italy.
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NewsVerona locomotive maintenance centre to capitalise on expected modal shift to rail
ITALY: Siemens Mobility and Railpool are to invest €20m in the development of a ‘state-of-the-art’ locomotive servicing hub in Verona.
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In depthEurope: Franco-Italian Mont Cenis base tunnel project forges ahead
A key element in the east-west Mediterranean Corridor, the Mont Cenis base tunnel will be a cornerstone of the TEN-T network, as well as offering an improved link between the French and Italian capitals. Reinhard Christeller reports from the construction site.
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NewsBozankaya delivers first tram to Napoli
ITALY: Turkish manufacturer Bozankaya has delivered the first of 20 five-section trams to Napoli operator ANM.
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NewsDescend into the underworld at Napoli Line 7 station
ITALY: An ‘art station’ designed by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor to provide a visual metaphor for the descent into the underworld is the architectural highlight of Napoli’s recently opened Line 7.
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NewsTrenord launches Trainscanner rolling stock inspection tool
ITALY: Regional operator Trenord and MerMec have introduced a health and diagnostic tool known as Trainscanner.
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NewsFour tracks between Voltri and Sampierdarena marks progress on Genova Node
ITALY: Revenue services have started running on the additional pair of tracks that have been built to augment the existing formation between Voltri and Sampierdarena stations in Genova.
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NewsFrecciarossa 1000 high speed train launched as FS Group ramps up its internationalisation strategy
ITALY: National railway FS Group emphasised its ambitions for international expansion, including the launch of Paris – London services, in a panel discussion at the Expo Ferroviaria trade fair.
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NewsTrenitalia and Alstom unveil 200 km/h regional train
ITALY: Alstom and Trenitalia have unveiled a variant of the Coradia Stream regional electric multiple-unit family with a higher maximum speed of 200 km/h to enable operation on the Firenze – Roma Direttissima high speed line.
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NewsStadler to supply battery and hydrogen trains for Italian narrow gauge lines
ITALY: Stadler has unveiled a 950 mm gauge battery trainset for Ferrovie Appulo Lucane, and signed a contract to supply two hydrogen trains to Ferrovia Circumetnea which also uses the so-called ’Italian metre gauge’.
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NewsBrenner Base Tunnel exploratory bore broken through
EUROPE: A celebratory event has marked the breakthrough of the exploratory tube of what will be the world’s longest railway tunnel.
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In depthFreight: FS accelerates push into European logistics
Rebranded as FS Logistix, Italy’s state-owned rail freight business is aiming to position itself as a freight forwarder operating across the entire European logistics chain, as CEO Sabrina De Filippis tells Toma Bačić.
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NewsNext Firenze tramway and vehicle purchase approved
ITALY: Firenze city council has approved the final design of a tram line to link Piazza Libertà on the existing network with Rovezzano station.
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In depthItaly: EU funding deadline looms over major projects
Numerous rail projects are under way across Italy, thanks to Covid recovery funding, but slow progress means that some schemes may not meet the EU deadlines for completion. Toma Bačić investigates.
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NewsStudy finds that Dolomites railway proposal is not viable
ITALY: The construction of a railway to the resort town of Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites is not viable, according to a study prepared by infrastructure manager RFI.
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NewsNext Salerno – Reggio Calabria high speed line contract awarded
ITALY: RFI has awarded a €1·6bn contract for the construction of a 22·2 km double-track connection mostly in tunnel between Cosenza and Paola.
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NewsTrenord targets Chinese tourists with WeChat account
ITALY: Lombardia regional passenger train operator Trenord has launched an account on the WeChat social media and messaging app which is popular with Chinese visitors.
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In depthFirenze: Low-vibration trackform protects historic urban core
Pandrol has deployed its latest low-vibration trackform and floating sleeper mats on two extensions of the light rail network in the historic centre of Firenze. The company’s Technology Manager for Sustainable Resilient Systems Ernesto San Vicente explains how the challenges of the deployment were overcome.