Rome & Railways

[dario]

Since 9th Nov commuters can now experience the new "VIVALTO" double-deck trains (4 or 5 coaches and single-cab loco E464) and "MINUETTO" emus, paid for by the Rome provincial government (it extends roughly 40 mile radius). In another case, things are getting worst before getting better: the line between the stations Tiburtina and Prenestina has been dismantled to make way for the new high speed link, which will start in 30 days time.

[dario]

The Rome-Naples HSL has been officially inaugurated today,16 dec.2005.

[dario]

Tomorrow, 23 jan.2006, the Roma-Naples HSL enters revenue-earning service.

[DSY011]

dario, any chance of some photos of the new Roma-Naples HSL?
SYD (DSY011)

[dario]

8
I havent been able to find any photo on the web (there must be somewhere!), but only this DC/AC ETR500 set leaving Turin, for travelling onto the other new HSL, the MI-TO or Milan-Turin.

[dario]

How stupid of me!
Of course, there's the TAV (Italian HSL) web site, in English, too!
Click www.en.tav.it
and then Photo Gallery, and Movies.
If you have Real Player, you can enjoy the movies (approx. 3 minutes), mostly helicopter views of the construction sites (sorry: no trains), but still worthwhile.

[dario]

9
Photo of ETR500 dual voltage set during a test run, from theTAV site.

[dario]

10
Rear cab view of Roma-Napoli HSL.

[dario]

11
Head and tail E402B dual voltage locos with three diagnostic coaches and a luggage van on the Roma-Napoli HSL.

[DSY011]

Thank you for posting the photos Dario. They look great. I just hope they give a better service than we get in the UK. I have used the trains quite a lot since the railways were passed onto the open market, and I still have not arrived on time yet. It does not seem to matter where I go or which service I use I'm always late. I now catch the train before the one I want to be sure to get to an appointment on time.
Syd (DSY011)

[dario]

The Major of Rome and the CEO of RFI (infrastructure management authority) have announced the completion of the Rome Railway Loop by 2010.
The missing link is 10 km long and goes from North West, on the track used for ten days during the World Football Championship of 1990, bridging the Tiber River and linking with the two mainlines to/from Florence in the East.
Also the North and South Tyrrhenian lines will be linked by a Rome avoiding line 32 km long, to allow thru-long distance freight trains.
For an actual map of the Rome area, refer ro bueker.net/trainspotting, then look for railway maps, Rome area.

[Yorky]

Your trains look fantastic. Is it the Italian flair for design?

[dario]

Thank you for the kind appreciation, Yorky.
Italian trains do in fact bear the mark of top designers, renowned for automobile design, i.e. Pininfarina, Zagato, Giugiaro.
But when I look to old trains, I like these much more!
For this is the love of trains, isn't it?

[dario]

13
And I add, the Settebello (7-car emu) and Arlecchino (4-car emu) are among the most wonderful trains ever, because they put the passengers in the front end saloon, and the driver behind and above.

[dario]

Monday 13th Feb. 2006
The Rome-North suburban section of the 60-mile Rome-Viterbo Regional Railway has a new terminal at Montebello , 12 km north of the Piazzale Flaminio terminal, providing for urban/interurban bus interchange, "kiss and ride", "park and ride".

[dario]

As of today, Narrow Gauge extends 5.182 km on the Roma-Pantano reconstructed outer section, to 17.8 km full length.
Gauge is 950 mm over faces, or 1 metre at rail centres.
Electrification 1500Vdc.
Most recent EMUs are clones of Manchester's Metrolink.
Albeit by 2010, or hopefully later, the special concrete-rods sleepers will be stretched to standard gauge on this section, to become part of Met.Ro. Line C (driverless).

[dario]

Does anybody remember the movie "Cassandra Crossing"?
Well, this is it, the Ronciglione bridge on the disused FS Capranica-Orte line.
Above it a FS shunter is handing over a new EMU to Met.Ro. for its own Rome-Viterbo service, as distinct from the FS Rome-Viterbo service.

[dario]

Yesterday 16 May the first sod has been dug for Rome's Underground Met.Ro. Line C, close to the Roma-Pantano suburban narrow gauge railway which it will replace, in the outer section along the Via Casilina.
Works for 15 miles of line, crossing the "Urbe" NW to SE, with 30 stations are due to end by March 2011, and service to start by August 2015.