Rail transport in Italy

The Italian railway system is a very important part of infrastructure in Italy. It has many miles of tracks, with about 16,832 kilometers in use today. The system has been growing, especially with new high-speed rail network lines being built.

Italy is part of the International Union of Railways, a group of countries that work together to improve trains and rail travel. The special number that represents Italy in this group is 83, called the UIC Country Code.

In 2024, the country's main train service, Trenitalia, was honored as the best train passenger service in all of Europe. This shows how well Italy’s trains are run and how much people enjoy using them.

The network

See also: Narrow-gauge railways in Italy

RFI (Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, Italian Rail Network) is the main company that manages most of Italy's railway tracks. Italy's railway system is very long, with 19,394 kilometres (12,051 miles) of tracks. Out of these, 16,723 kilometres (10,391 miles) are in use.

The tracks are split into three types: main lines that connect big cities, lines that link smaller towns, and lines that help connect these smaller lines to the main ones. Most of the tracks use electricity to power the trains.

Some companies are allowed to run trains on these tracks, and there are special passes that make travel easier for visitors.

History

Main article: History of rail transport in Italy

The first railway in Italy opened in 1839 between Naples and Portici, just nine years after the world’s first modern railway. Soon after, more lines were built, including one between Milano and Monza.

When Italy united as a country in 1861, plans began for a network stretching from the Alps to Sicily. Construction grew quickly. By 1905, the Italian government took control of most railways, creating the State Railways. In the 1920s and 1930s, many new lines and improvements were made, including very direct routes between major cities and the introduction of electric power for trains.

World War II caused damage to the railways, but after the war, Italy worked to rebuild and expand its network. Today, the railways are managed by two main groups: Rete Ferroviaria Italiana for the tracks and Trenitalia for the trains, both part of Ferrovie dello Stato.

High-speed rail

Main article: High-speed rail in Italy

Italy's high-speed trains started in 1938 with a special train called the ETR 200, which could go up to 200 km/h (120 mph) between Bologna and Naples. In 1970, Italy began building its first high-speed railway line between Rome and Florence, which was finished in the early 1990s.

In the 1990s, Italy started building more high-speed lines connecting cities like Milan, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples, Turin, Venice, and Trieste. Today, you can travel from Rome to Milan in less than 3 hours thanks to fast trains like the Frecciarossa 1000. There are many high-speed trains running every day, offering quick trips between these big cities.

Night trains

Main article: Nightjet

The Nightjet from the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) stops at big cities in Italy such as Rome, Venice, Florence, and Milano. You can use these trains to travel inside Italy or to other countries.

Nightjet trains have different types of beds, including comfortable sleeper beds, couchette beds, and regular seats. Some trips even let you bring your car along. If you have a bike, you can carry it in a special bag or, on some routes, use special bike racks.

Trenitalia runs many night trains in Italy under the name Intercity Notte. These trains go from cities in the north like Turin and Milan all the way down to Rome and even to places in southern Italy like Lecce, Palermo, and Syracuse in Sicily. They have regular seats plus modern couchettes and sleeping spaces.

Intercity trains

Main articles: Inter-city rail and InterCity

With the introduction of high-speed trains, intercity trains now only run a few times each day on main and regional tracks.

Daytime intercity trains, though not very frequent, are important for connecting cities and towns that are not on the main railway lines. Some main routes include traveling from Trieste to Rome (stopping at Venice, Bologna, Prato, Florence and Arezzo), and from Milan to Rome (stopping at Genoa, La Spezia, Pisa and Livorno, or at Parma, Modena, Bologna, Prato, Florence and Arezzo). These trains also offer a more affordable way to travel long distances across Italy.

Night intercity trains have sleeping areas and washrooms but no showers. Their main routes include Rome to Bolzano/Bozen, Milan to Lecce, Turin to Lecce, and Reggio di Calabria to Turin. These night trains usually travel during the night, taking about 10 to 15 hours for a one-way trip, and provide extra connections during the day to support the daytime intercity services.

Regional trains

Trenitalia runs regional train services, including fast and stopping trains, all across Italy.

Different areas of Italy have their own train agencies. Their schedules and tickets are often available through Trenitalia. Some agencies have their own ticket systems, which can be bought at local shops. Here are some of these agencies:

• Campania: Ente Autonomo Volturno runs most trains in Campania. It operates services in and around Naples, including lines to towns near Vesuvio like Pompei, Ercolano, Sorrento, and Sarno. It also runs other regional lines outside Naples.
• Trentino-Alto Adige / Trentin-Südtirol: Südtirol Bahn runs regional trains in this area, connecting places like Bolzano/Bozen, Merano/Meran, and Innsbruck in Austria.
• Veneto: Sistemi Territoriali operates regional trains in Veneto.
• Lombardy: Trenord runs trains including the Malpensa Express airport train, many suburban lines around Milan, and most regional trains in Lombardy. It also works with other companies on services to Munich and towns in Switzerland.
• Emilia-Romagna: Trasporto Passeggeri Emilia-Romagna connects cities such as Modena, Parma, Ferrara, Reggio Emilia, and Bologna.
• Tuscany: La Ferroviaria Italiana operates in Arezzo province.
• Abruzzo: Sangritana runs daily trains between Pescara and Lanciano.

There are also many smaller operators, like AMT Genova for the Genova-Casella railway.

Stations

Main article: Railway stations in Italy

Italy has many busy railway stations where people get on and off trains. Some stations are very busy with lots of passengers every year.

The top ten railway stations in Italy by the number of passengers each year are listed here.

Rapid transit

Milan Metro is the largest rapid transit system in Italy. It has the most stations and is used by the most people. It is also the fifth longest metro in the European Union and the eighth longest in Europe. Seven cities in Italy have metro systems.

Fifteen cities have commuter rail systems. These help people travel within their cities.

Airport shuttle buses are common in Italy. Most airports are not directly connected to railways, except for Rome Fiumicino Airport, Milan Malpensa Airport, and Turin Caselle Airport. In Bologna, the Marconi Express monorail connects Bologna Airport to the main railway station. Since 2022, Linate Airport in Milan is connected to line 4 of the Milan metro.

Eleven cities have tram systems, including Bergamo–Albino light rail, Cagliari light rail, Trams in Florence, and others.

Two cities, Rome and Sassari, have tram-train systems. In Rome, the Rome–Giardinetti railway links stations to the city. In Sassari, the Metrosassari connects the railway station to the city centre and other areas.

Rail links to adjacent countries

Italy has 11 places where trains cross into neighboring countries over the Alpine mountains. Six of these are big train tracks, and two are smaller tracks.

The six big crossings include two with France (one for Nice and Marseille, the other for Lyon and Dijon), two with Switzerland (one for Brig, Bern and Geneva, the other for Chiasso, Lugano, Lucerne and Zürich), and two with Austria (one for Innsbruck, the other for Villach, Graz and Vienna). The two smaller tracks are in the town of Tirano (going into Switzerland's Graubünden/Grisons) and Domodossola (going into Switzerland's Ticino).

There used to be a train line from Italy's port of Trieste to Ljubljana in Slovenia and Vienna in Austria, but it stopped after World War II. Trains between Trieste and Ljubljana started running again in September 2018.

Some important border train stations include:

• Roma San Pietro for the Rome-Vatican City line
• Ventimiglia for the Genoa-Nice line
• Olivetta San Michele and Limone Piemonte for the Tenda Railway
• Modane for the Turin-Lyon line
• Domodossola for the Milan-Bern and Geneva line
• Chiasso for the Milan-Zürich line
• Tirano for the Bernina line
• Brenner for the Verona-Innsbruck line
• San Candido for the Fortezza-Lienz line
• Tarvisio Boscoverde for the Venezia-Wien line
• Gorizia Centrale for links with Slovenian Railways

Heritage railways

See also: List of heritage railways in Italy

In Italy, special old railways are protected by a law from 2017. This law helps keep old railway lines open for tourists. These railways are important for their culture, nature, and beauty. They include tracks, stations, and old trains. The government updates a list of these special railways regularly.

Here is a list of some of these special railway lines in Italy:

a) according to the law of 2017:

1. Sulmona-Castel di Sangro section of the Sulmona–Isernia railway
2. Cosenza-Camigliatello–San Giovanni in Fiore railway
3. Avellino–Rocchetta Sant'Antonio railway
4. Gemona del Friuli–Sacile railway
5. Palazzolo–Paratico railway
6. Castel di Sangro-Carpinone section of the Sulmona-Isernia railway
7. Ceva–Ormea railway
8. Mandas–Arbatax railway
9. Isili–Sorgono railway
10. Sassari–Tempio-Palau railway
11. Macomer–Bosa railway
12. Alcantara–Randazzo railway
13. Castelvetrano-Porto Palo section of the Castelvetrano–Porto Empedocle railway
14. Agrigento Bassa-Porto Empedocle section of the Castelvetrano-Porto Empedocle railway
15. Noto–Pachino railway
16. Asciano–Monte Antico railway
17. Civitavecchia–Orte railway
18. Fano–Urbino railway

The Bernina railway line is a special railway that goes from St. Moritz in Switzerland to Tirano in Italy. It goes over a high mountain pass and is very steep, making it exciting for passengers to see glaciers along the way. In 2008, this railway was named a special UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 2023, a new company was created to offer special train trips for tourists. These trips include fancy trains, old trains, and local trains that let people enjoy beautiful places and tasty food.

Funding

The Italian railways get some of their money from the government. In 2009, they received €8.1 billion to help run and improve the rail system.

Categories and types of trains

See also: Train categories in Europe

These are the main types of trains you can find in Italy:

• Italo runs on fast main lines by Italo NTV. It stops only in big cities.
• Frecciarossa runs on fast lines by Trenitalia. It stops in major cities.
• Frecciargento also runs on fast lines by Trenitalia. It stops in big cities.
• Frecciabianca runs on main lines by Trenitalia, stopping in big cities.
• Intercity runs on main lines by Trenitalia, stopping in big cities.
• Eurocity, once called Cisalpino, runs on international main lines in Europe by Trenitalia, stopping in big cities.
• Regionale Veloce runs on regional lines by Trenitalia, stopping at main local stations.
• Regionale runs on regional lines by Trenitalia, stopping at every station.
• Regio-Express runs on regional lines by Trenord, stopping at some stations.

There are also regional trains that operate in specific places like the Aosta Valley, Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Apulia.

Main stations

Here are some of the most important train stations in Italy:

• Bari Centrale, Bari
• Bologna Centrale, Bologna
• Firenze Santa Maria Novella, Florence
• Genova Brignole, Genoa
• Genova Piazza Principe, Genoa
• Milano Cadorna, Milan
• Milano Centrale, Milan
• Milano Porta Garibaldi, Milan
• Napoli Afragola, Metropolitan City of Naples
• Napoli Centrale, Naples
• Palermo Centrale, Palermo
• Roma Ostiense, Rome
• Roma Termini, Rome
• Roma Tiburtina, Rome
• Trieste Centrale, Trieste
• Torino Porta Nuova, Turin
• Torino Porta Susa, Turin
• Venezia Mestre, Venice
• Venezia Santa Lucia, Venice
• Verona Porta Nuova, Verona