Turin–Milan railway

The Turin–Milan railway is a major Italian railway that links the cities of Turin and Milan. The railway is double track, standard gauge and fully electrified at 3 kV DC. It connects the cities of Settimo Torinese, Chivasso, Santhià, Vercelli, Novara, Magenta and Rho. Since February 2006 high-speed trains have operated over the Turin–Milan high-speed line between Turin and Novara. The remainder of the high-speed line between Novara and Milan was opened in December 2009, when the Bologna–Florence high-speed line and the remaining sections of the Rome–Naples high-speed railway line and the Naples–Salerno high-speed line are opened, completing the high-speed network between Turin and Salerno.

Turin–Milan railway
The railway near Novara
Overview
Native nameFerrovia Torino-Milano
Statusin use
OwnerRFI
LocaleItaly
Termini
Stations18 station, 8 stops
Service
Typeheavy rail
ServicesS6
Operator(s)Trenitalia, Trenord
History
Opened1 July 1859 (1859-07-01)
Technical
Line length153 km (95 mi)
Number of tracks2
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification3 KV DC
Operating speed160 km/h (99 mph)
Route map

Left arrowfrom Genoa, Fossano and Chieri
Right arrowfrom Pinerolo – Torre Pellice
(0.000)
Torino Lingotto
0.000
Torino Porta Nuova
1.092
0.000
start of Turin-Novara
1.400
Copertura Trincea tunnel
(2253 m)
Turin Passante
1.465
Zappata 4-way junction
2.139
Crocetta junction
3.653
4-track tunnel to the east
(4446 m)
3.943
Torino Porta Susa
opened 2008
3.943
Torino Porta Susa
1856–2009
Torino Dora (under reconstruction)
to Ceres
to Ceres
(9+359)
Torino Rebaudengo Fossata
8.099
10.935
Torino Stura
12.347
link
14.062
14.014
Settimo Torinese junction
from Turin Passante
15.763
Settimo
Torino-Settimo Torinese
interurban tramway (1884–1954)
22.896
Brandizzo
27.251
Chivasso
184 m a.s.l.
to Asti
30.763
Castelrosso
30.783
Castelrosso junction
(to Alessandria)
33.395
Torrazza Piemonte
38.391
Saluggia
41.186
Sant'Antonino di Saluggia
45.403
Livorno Ferraris
49.796
Bianzè
55.396
Tronzano
57.933
Santhià
to Biella and Arona
63.584
San Germano Vercellese
68.483
Olcenengo
from Casale Monferrato and Valenza
Vercelli–Trino (closed 1949), V–Aranco
(c. 1933) and V–Biella (c. 1933) interurbans
77.054
Vercelli
128 m a.s.l.
Sesia river
79.348
Sesia junction
Vercelli-Biandrate-Fara
interurban tramway
82.051
Borgo Vercelli
88.937
Ponzana
Agogna torrent
from Varallo, Domodossola,
Arona and Pino
Novara FNM
(old)
to Seregno
98.940
Novara / Novara Nord
151 m a.s.l.
Novara Boschetto
link to Turin–Milan (HS)
Novara–Vigevano–Ottobiano
interurban tramway
108.464
Trecate
Novara–Vigevano–Ottobiano
interurban tramway
113.982
120.421
Magenta
123.688
Corbetta-Santo Stefano Ticino
(opened 1936)[1]
Milano–Castano Primo
interurban tramway
126.206
Vittuone-Arluno
131.037
Pregnana Milanese
(opened 2009)[2][3]
133.381
134.571
16.348
Rho
"Varese" lines / "Novara" lines
12.618
Rho Fiera
opened 2008
8.526
Milano Certosa
Milano Villapizzone
opened 2002
Milano Bovisa FS
closed 1997
to Milano Sempione and Mortara
Farini marshalling yard
Milano Porta Garibaldi
Left arrowopened 1963 (surface)
Left arrowLeft arrowopened 1997 (underground)
0.000
Milano Centrale
Source: Italian railway atlas[4]

History

Construction and opening

The line was built by Thomas Brassey under contract to the Società Vittorio Emanuele ("Victor Emmanuel Company", named in honour of Victor Emmanuel II, then king of Piedmont and Sardinia) and opened between Turin and Novara on 20 October 1856 and extended to the Ticino river—which formed the boundary between Piedmont and the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia (then part of the Austrian Empire)—on 18 October 1858. The bridge over the river connecting to the existing railway from Milan at Magenta was opened on 1 June 1859.

Three days later the French-Sardinian army led by Napoleon III defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Magenta with the help of supplies brought by the new railway. This was a major step in the unification of Italy.[5]

The line formed part of the Società per le strade ferrate dell'Alta Italia (Upper Italian Railways) from 1865 and the Società per le Strade Ferrate del Mediterraneo (Mediterranean Railway Company) from 1885.

In the twentieth century

An intercity at Ponzana

Following the nationalisation of the railways, the line was incorporated into the state network and its operation was taken over by Ferrovie dello Stato between 1905 and 1906.

The line was severely damaged during the Second World War. In 1951, it was restored to operation, albeit temporarily, in some parts.

The main line from Novara to Rho was electrified from the timetable change in May 1960.[6] The missing section from Turin to Novara was electrified the following year and inaugurated on 4 June in the presence of the Minister of Transport Giuseppe Spataro,[7] on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the unification of Italy.[8]

At the beginning of the 2000s, the management of the line passed to Rete Ferroviaria Italiana.

Features

The line is double-track, electrified at 3,000 volts DC and standard-gauge with a length of 153 kilometres (95 mi). Its infrastructure manager, RFI classifies it as a "fundamental line".[9]

The line has five junction stations, Settimo, Chivasso, Santhià, Vercelli and Novara. Lines branch off as follows: from Settimo to Pont Canavese; from Chivasso to Ivrea/Aosta, Asti and Alessandria; from Santhià to Arona and Biella; from Vercelli to Casale and Pavia; and from Novara to Biella, Alessandria/Arona, Domodossola and Varallo Sesia. The railway line is paralleled by the Turin–Milan high-speed railway, which crosses it several times during its journey, with connections at several points, including at: Torino Stura, Settimo, Bianzè, Novara and Rho Fiera. Trains can reach a top speed of 160 km/h on most of the line and between Magenta and Pregnana Milanese the speed limit is 180 km/h.[10]

Operations

The line is used by freight and passenger trains of various categories, which are operated by various companies.

Trenitalia operates the following services each day:

  • twenty pairs of fast regional trains between Turin and Milan;
  • regional trains on the Novara/Vercelli–Chivasso–Turin/Ivrea route;
  • a pair of InterCity services between Turin and Milan;
  • two pairs of InterCity Night services between Turin and Reggio Calabria.

In addition six TGV services a day are operated on the Milan–Turin–Paris route;

The Novara–Milan section is also used by line S6 of the Milan suburban railway service, operated by Trenord, while the Chivasso–Turin section is used by line 2 of the Turin metropolitan railway service, operated by Trenitalia.

See also

References

  1. Ferrovie dello Stato, Service order no. 25, 1936
  2. RFI S.p.A. Departmental Circular MI 19/2009. p. 2.
  3. "Impianti FS". I Treni (in Italian) (317): 6. July 2009.
  4. Atlante ferroviario s'Italia e Slovenia [Italian and Slovenian railway atlas)] (1 ed.). Schweers + Wall. 2010. pp. 19–21, 31, 120, 124, 130–33. ISBN 978-3-89494-129-1.
  5. Kalla-Bishop, P. M. (1971). Italian Railways. Newton Abbott, Devon, England: David & Charles. p. 26.
  6. Leppo, Ettore (June 1960). "Giugno T.E.". Voci della Rotaia (in Italian). III (6): 6.
  7. Marello, Renzo (June 1961). "T.E. sulla Milano-Torino. 3000 Volt sulla Modane-Alessandria". Voci della Rotaia (in Italian). IV (6): 3.
  8. Ballatore, Luigi (2002). Storia delle ferrovie in Piemonte (in German). Il Punto. pp. 55–61.
  9. "La rete oggi in: Piemonte" (in Italian). www.rfi.it. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  10. "RFI, Fascicolo Linea 22" (in Italian). RFI.

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