Type Heavy rail Status Operational Line length 212 km (132 mi) Terminis Ancona, Orte | System Italian railway system Opened 1866 Locale Italy | |
 | ||
Number of tracks 2 (Ancona–Montecarotto, P.M. 228–Fabriano, Foligno–Campello, Terni–Orte)
otherwise 1 Operators Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (2001–) | ||
The Ancona–Orte railway is a rail line in central Italy connecting the city of Ancona with Orte, and therefore with the capital city, Rome. The line crosses Apennine Mountains from Tyrrhenian Sea to Adriatic Sea and also serves Terni, Spoleto and Foligno.
Contents
History
Plans for a railway line between Rome and the Adriatic coast started in 1846 in the Papal state, after the death of Pope Gregory XVI, who was strongly against rail. The construction of the new rail line was authorized on 7 November 1846 by the new Pope Pius IX, to link Rome with the main port on the Adriatic sea, Ancona. The aim was also to reach Bologna and Modena, and thus to connect the Papal state to Lombardy and Veneto railway network.
The project was initially named Strada Ferrata «Pio Centrale» in honor of the Pope, but was finished only on 29 April 1866, under the newly born Kingdom of Italy. Works were slowed down by the process of Italian unification, lack of funds and complications due to the difficult terrain. However, the partially completed line was opened since 1865, with trains operated by Società per le strade ferrate romane (SSFR).
The line was interrupted by Papal army in 1870 in an attempt to fight back the Italian army invading Rome. The line was soon reactivated once Rome became capital of the Kingdom. The state took control of the line after the failure of SSFR. The line was subsequently incorporated into the Adriatic network and managed by Società Italiana per le strade ferrate meridionali (Italian company for southern railways), which doubled tracks between Rome and Orte in 1890.
The management of the line was moved to Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) in 1905. In 1907 the section between Ancona and Falconara Marittima was doubled. The electrification of the line was completed on 28 October 1935 and travel time fell from about 7 to 4 hours. The line was severely damaged during the Second World War and was completely reopened only in 1946.
Operation
Regional, Intercity and Eurostar trains are operated on the line by Trenitalia. The capacity is severely limited by single track sections. Of the total length of 299 km, 125 km are single track.