Villa San Giovanni railway station

Villa San Giovanni railway station (Italian: Stazione di Villa San Giovanni) is the main railway station serving the town and comune of Villa San Giovanni, in the region of Calabria, southern Italy. It Opened in 1884, and it forms part of the Battipaglia–Reggio di Calabria railway.

Villa San Giovanni
LocationPiazza Stazione
89018 Villa San Giovanni RC
Villa San Giovanni, Reggio Calabria, Calabria
Italy
Coordinates38°13′00″N 15°38′04″E
Operated byRete Ferroviaria Italiana
Centostazioni
Line(s)Battipaglia–Reggio di Calabria
Distance360.102 km (223.757 mi)
from Battipaglia
Train operatorsTrenitalia
Connections
  • Urban and suburban buses
  • Ferries to Sicily
Construction
ArchitectRoberto Narducci
Other information
ClassificationGold
History
Opened19 May 1884 (1884-05-19)
Rebuilt1937
Location
Villa San Giovanni
Location in Calabria
Villa San Giovanni
Location in Italy

The station is currently managed by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI). However, the commercial area of the passenger building is managed by Centostazioni. The station's main line train services are operated by or on behalf of Trenitalia. Each of these companies is a subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), Italy's state-owned rail company.

As the main point of arrival and departure of rail passengers between the mainland and Sicily, the station is a rail facility of national importance. In terms of passenger movements, it is the second busiest station in the Reggio Calabria urban area, and one of the busiest in the region. Additionally, it is a transit point for all of the goods transported by rail between the mainland and Sicily.

Location

Villa San Giovanni railway station is situated at Piazza Stazione, at the western edge of the town centre. It occupies Villa San Giovanni's waterfront area, between the town centre and the ferry terminal for ferries to Sicily.

History

The station was opened on 20 May 1884, together with the rest of the 12 km (7.5 mi) long section of the Southern Tyrrhenian railway between Reggio Calabria Lido (then named Reggio Calabria Succursale) and Villa San Giovanni.[1]

Soon afterwards, the construction company, the Società Vittorio Emanuele,[2] handed over the facility to the new Società per le Strade Ferrate del Mediterraneo (English: Company for the Mediterranean Railways). The latter company eventually completed the Southern Tyrrhenian railway in 1895. In that year, the importance of the station grew significantly, because for travellers coming from Sicily it was more convenient to take a ferry straight to Villa San Giovanni than to travel, as before, via the port of Reggio Calabria. On 1 March 1905, the station was connected by a new short railway with the Villa ferry port. This development facilitated the introduction of ferry services carrying railway rolling stock.

As time went on, the importance of Villa San Giovanni gradually increased, to the detriment of Reggio Calabria, as the Tyrrhenian rail route to central and northern Italy was shorter than the alternative route via the Jonica railway. Movement of rail traffic across the Strait of Messina was also increased and strengthened by the introduction of Villesi cradles. The passenger building was built in 1937, as a project of architect Roberto Narducci.

Train services

The station is served by the following service(s):

  • High speed services (Frecciargento) Rome - Naples - Salerno - Lamezia Terme - Reggio di Calabria
  • Intercity services Rome - Naples - Salerno - Lamezia Terme - Messina - Palermo
  • Intercity services Rome - Naples - Salerno - Lamezia Terme - Messina - Siracusa
  • Intercity services Rome - Naples - Salerno - Lamezia Terme - Reggio di Calabria
  • Night train (Intercity Notte) Rome - Naples - Messina - Siracusa
  • Night train (Intercity Notte) Milan - Messina - Siracusa
  • Night train (Intercity Notte) Turin - Reggio di Calabria
  • Regional services (Treno regionale) Cosenza - Lamezia Terme - Rosarno - Villa San Giovanni - Reggio di Calabria
  • Metropolitan services (Treno regionale) Rosarno - Villa San Giovanni - Reggio di Calabria - Melito di Porto Salvo
Preceding station   Trenitalia   Following station
Gioia Tauro
toward Roma Termini
[[]]
Terminus
toward Roma Termini
InterCity
toward Roma Termini
InterCity
toward Siracusa
Gioia Tauro
toward Roma Termini
InterCity
Terminus
toward Roma Termini
Intercity Notte
toward Siracusa
Gioia Tauro
Intercity Notte
toward Siracusa
Scilla
Intercity Notte
Reggio di Calabria Lido
Villa San Giovanni Cannitello
toward Cosenza
Treno regionale
Reggio di Calabria Catona
Villa San Giovanni Cannitello
toward Rosarno
Treno regionale
Reggio di Calabria Catona

Features

Six tracks at the station are used for passenger services. The goods yard is very large, and its sidings are arranged into three distinct groups.

Interchange

The station has a bus terminus for ATAM and Costa Viola buses. It also offers interchange with ferries to Sicily.

Images
  • The station depicted in a 1906 postcard.
  • View of track 1.
  • View of the platform shelters
  • Overall view of the platform for tracks 2-3.
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See also

References
  1. Alessandro Tuzza; et al. "Prospetto cronologico dei tratti di ferrovia aperti all'esercizio dal 1839 al 31 dicembre 1926" [Chronological overview of the features of the railways opened between 1839 and 31 December 1926]. www.trenidicarta.it (in Italian). Alessandro Tuzza. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  2. it:Società Vittorio Emanuele

Media related to Villa San Giovanni railway station at Wikimedia Commons This article is based upon a translation of the Italian language version as at January 2011.

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