The Rome–Ancona railway (or Ancona–Orte railway) is a rail line in central
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
connecting the city of
Ancona
Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...
with
Orte
Orte is a town, ''comune'', former Catholic bishopric and Latin titular see in the province of Viterbo, in the central Italian region of Lazio, located about north of Rome and about east of Viterbo.
Geography
Orte is situated in the Tiber vall ...
, and therefore with the capital city,
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
.
The line crosses the
Apennine Mountains from the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
to the
Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea (; it, Mar Tirreno , french: Mer Tyrrhénienne , sc, Mare Tirrenu, co, Mari Tirrenu, scn, Mari Tirrenu, nap, Mare Tirreno) is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenian pe ...
, passing through
Foligno,
Spoleto
Spoleto (, also , , ; la, Spoletum) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome.
History
Spolet ...
, and
Terni
Terni ( , ; lat, Interamna (Nahars)) is a city in the southern portion of the region of Umbria in central Italy. It is near the border with Lazio. The city is the capital of the province of Terni, located in the plain of the Nera river. It is ...
.
History
![Italia ferrovie 1870 09 20](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Italia_ferrovie_1870_09_20.png)
Plans for a railway line between Rome and the
Adriatic coast began in 1846 in the
Papal state
The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...
, after the death of
Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He h ...
, who strongly opposed rail.
The construction of the new railway was authorized on 7 November 1846 by the new Pope
Pius IX
Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...
, to link Rome with the main port on the Adriatic sea,
Ancona
Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...
.
[Ministero del commercio e dei Lavori Pubblici, ''Ragguaglio di quanto è stato operato dal 1859 al 1863'' (railways section), Rome, Tipografia della Reverenda Camera Apostolica, 1864.]
The aim was also to reach
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...
and
Modena, and thus to connect the Papal state to
Lombardy and
Veneto
it, Veneto (man) it, Veneta (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 = ...
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
The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and f ...
.
Works were slowed 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
Orte is a town, ''comune'', former Catholic bishopric and Latin titular see in the province of Viterbo, in the central Italian region of Lazio, located about north of Rome and about east of Viterbo.
Geography
Orte is situated in the Tiber vall ...
in 1890.
The management of the line was moved to
Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane S.p.A. ( "Italian Railways of the State"; previously only Ferrovie dello Stato, hence the abbreviation FS) is Italy's national state-owned railway holding company that manages transport, infrastructure, real estat ...
(''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
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
and was completely reopened in 1946.
File:Notificazione 7 novembre 1846 sulle concessioni ferroviarie.jpg, Act establishing the start of works, 7 November 1846
File:Indizione appalto materiali da costruzione per la linea Pio Centrale (1859).jpg, Tender for construction materials (1859)
File:Orario ferrovia Roma-Ancona del 1866.jpg, Timetable from December 1866
Operation
Regional and
Intercity
InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...
trains are operated on the line by
Trenitalia
Trenitalia is the primary train operator in Italy. A subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, itself owned by the Italian government, the company was established in 2000 following a European Union directive on the deregulation of rail tra ...
.
The capacity is severely limited by single track sections. Of the total length of 299 km, 125 km are single track.
See also
*
List of railway lines in Italy
This is a list of all railway lines in Italy.
Active lines
Managed by Ferrovie dello Stato
High–speed lines
* Turin–Milan
* Milan–Verona (under construction)
* Verona–Venice (under construction)
* Venice–Trieste (planning p ...
References
Notes
Footnotes
Sources
* Rete Ferroviaria Italiana. ''Fascicolo linea 105 (Ancona–Foligno)''
* Rete Ferroviaria Italiana. ''Fascicolo linea 106 (Foligno–Orte)''
*
*
*
* }
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ancona-Orte railway
Railway lines in Lazio
Railway lines in the Marche
Railway lines in Umbria
Railway lines opened in 1866
1866 establishments in Italy