Rome–Naples high-speed railway

The Rome–Naples high-speed railway line is a link in the Italian high-speed rail network. It opened from Roma Termini to Gricignano di Aversa on 19 December 2005. The final 25 kilometres (16 miles) from Gricignano to Napoli Centrale opened on 13 December 2009. When the line is completed trains will take 1 hour and 10 minutes between the two cities. The line is part of Corridor 1 of the European Union's Trans-European high-speed rail network, which connects Berlin and Palermo.

Rome–Naples high-speed railway
A straight section line of the line near Anagni
Overview
Native name	Ferrovia Roma-Napoli (alta velocità)
Type	Heavy rail
System	Italian high-speed rail system
Status	Operational
Locale	Italy
Termini	Roma Termini Napoli Centrale
Operation
Opened	19 December 2005 completed on 13 December 2009
Owner	RFI
Operator(s)	Rete Ferroviaria Italiana
Technical
Line length	204.6 km (127.1 mi)
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in)
Minimum radius	5,450 metres (17,880 ft) except for short sections
Electrification	25 kV AC
Operating speed	300 kilometres per hour (190 mph)
Signalling	ERTMS/ETCS level 2
Maximum incline	2.1%
Route map from Florence (old) and Florence (HS) 4.505 Roma Tiburtina 3.419 0.000 to Viterbo, Livorno, Fiumicino, Naples (via Cassino) and Naples (via Formia) from Roma Termini 2.061 4.256 Roma Prenestina 4.975 Serenissima tunnel (1273 m) (5.288) Serenissima (opened 17.12.2006) 6.248 6.410 signalling border Grande Raccordo Anulare European route E80 (12.018) Salone 12.935 Salone crossing loop Rome-Sulmona railway 26.480 Massimo tunnel (1330 m) 27.810 29.738 Colli Albani tunnel (6628 m) 36.366 36.615 Labico crossing loop 50.947 Castello tunnel (1250 m) 52.197 61.178 Anagni crossing loop from Rome (via Cassino) Morolo to Naples (via Cassino) 66.372 Sgurgola tunnel (2293 m) 68.665 79.499 Macchia Piana tunnel (1801 m) 81.300 82.347 La Botte tunnel (1516 m) 83.683 88.404 Ceccano crossover 97.148 Colle Pece tunnel (1048 m) 98.196 111.985 San Giovanni crossing loop 132.892 Sant'Angelo crossing loop from Rome (via Cassino) Rocca d'Evandro-San Vittore Lazio Campania 142.328 Bivio Cassino Sud to Naples (via Cassino) and Venafro 142.352 Montelungo tunnel (2897 m) 145.249 147.921 Campozillone tunnel (3963 m) 151.884 152.843 Tora-Piccilli crossing loop 170.472 Briccelle tunnel (1347 m) 171.816 173.485 Pignataro crossover from Rome (via Cassino) 176.782 Caserta North junction no 1 Capua to Naples (via Cassino) 195.676 Gricignano junction no 1 from Foggia Gricignano-Teverola to Naples Autostrada A1 - European route E45 209.985 Napoli Afragola 211.337 Santa Chiara tunnel (1315 m) Autostrada A16 - European route E842 212.652 214.760 signalling border 215.336 Casoria Nord junction (to Salerno (via Mount Vesuvius)) Autostrada A1 - European route E45 from Salerno 220.861 (0.894) from Foggia, Rome (via Aversa-Formia) and from Rome (via Cassino) 222.397 Napoli Centrale

History

Construction of the line began in 1994. Between 2004 and 2005 a series of tests was carried out prior to the line being opened for commercial operations, to obtain approval for the line to be regularly operated at up to 300 km/h (190 mph). During these tests an ETR 500 train achieved a speed of 347 km/h (216 mph). These speeds were made possible by the line's 25 kV AC railway electrification system (rather than the traditional Italian use of 3 kV DC), and the new signaling, control and train protection system provided by the European Rail Traffic Management System/European Train Control System (ETCS). It was the first railway line in Italy to be electrified at 25 kV AC at 50 Hz and the first in the world to use ETCS Level 2 in normal rail operations.

The first 193 kilometres (120 miles) of the line was brought into service on 19 December 2005. The new line begins near Roma Prenestina station (4.5 kilometres (2.8 miles) from Roma Termini) and ends at Gricignano di Aversa, where a connecting line leads to the Rome-Naples via Formia line, which is used for the last 25 kilometres (16 miles) to reach Napoli Centrale station. The line features three other interconnections that link with the historical Rome-Naples via Cassino line, near Anagni, Cassino and Caserta.

On 13 December 2009, work was completed on the last 18 km line of the line between Gricignano and Napoli Centrale. This includes the Napoli Afragola station, which was due to be open in 2009 when the construction contract was first awarded, but tenders had to be called again and construction was put on hold.[1] Construction was delayed on several occasions and did not get fully underway until 2015. It was opened on 6 June 2017, with regular traffic for passengers starting from 11 June 2017.[2] The station is planned to provide interchange at Afragola station with the Circumvesuviana line in 2022, once that line has been reconstructed.

The Naples–Salerno high-speed railway (also known as the Linea a Monte del Vesuvio—"line up Mount Vesuvius") was completed in June 2008 to allow high-speed trains to and from Salerno and the south to bypass Napoli Centrale station. When the Rome–Naples high-speed line is fully open the length of the high-speed section will be about 205 kilometres (127 miles). The connecting line to Gricignano di Aversa is now not used for normal operations.[3]

The longest tunnel on the line through the Alban Hills is 6,725 metres (4 miles) long. The minimum radius of curves is 5,450 metres (5,960 yards) and the centres of the running lines are 5 metres (16 feet 5 inches) apart. The maximum gradient of the line is 21 per thousand.

References

1. "Afragola station delayed" (156). Today's Railways Europe. December 2008: 52. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
2. "Prime Minister inaugurates Napoli Afragola station". Railway Gazette. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
3. "Roma-Napoli: il tracciato" (in Italian). Rete Ferroviaria Italiana. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2009.

See also

• List of railway lines in Italy

External links

Media related to Rome–Naples high-speed railway at Wikimedia Commons