The Rome–Cassino–Naples railway is a railway in Italy, the first of the three existing railway lines between the capitals of

Latium Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire. Definition Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil ( Old Latium) on w ...

and

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

to be opened when it was completed by the Società per le strade ferrate romane in 1863. The line is now fully electrified at 3 kV DC. It is now mainly used by regional trains, some trains to and from the Adriatic coast and a few night trains. The Rome–Naples high-speed railway line (which was largely opened on 19 December 2005) generally follows the same route.

History

The first part of the line to be opened was at the southern end, built by the ''Royal Neapolitan Railway Company'' and was opened between Naples, Cancello and

Caserta Caserta () is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. It is an important agricultural, commercial, and industrial '' comune'' and city. Caserta is located on the edge of the Campanian plain at the foot of the Ca ...

on 20 December 1843 and was the second line opened in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies after the Naples–Portici line opened in 1839. It operated from a terminal at Napoli Porta Nolana, now used by the

Circumvesuviana Circumvesuviana () is a railway network in the east of the Naples metropolitan area, previously run by a company of the same name, now operated by Ente Autonomo Volturno. Electrically powered throughout, the system uses the narrow gauge of ...

Railway. This line was extended to

Capua Capua ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, situated north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etrus ...

on 26 May 1844. A branch line was opened from Cancello to

Nola Nola is a town and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. It lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. It is traditionally credited as the diocese that introduced bells to Christian wor ...

in 1846 and extended to

Sarno Sarno is a town and ''comune'' and former Latin Catholic bishopric of Campania, Italy, in the province of Salerno, 20 km northeast from the Salerno, city of Salerno and 60 km east of Naples by the main railway. Overview It lies at ...

in 1856. The northern part of the line was opened between a station at

Porta Maggiore The Porta Maggiore ("Larger Gate"), or Porta Prenestina, is one of the eastern gates in the ancient but well-preserved 3rd-century Aurelian Walls of Rome. Through the gate ran two ancient roads: the Via Praenestina and the Via Labicana. The Via ...

(southwest of the modern Termini station) and Ciampino on 14 July 1856 as part of the Rome–Frascati line by the ''Società Pio Latina'' ("Latin Pius Railway"), a French company named in honour of Pope Pius IX, who had overturned the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

's previous opposition to innovations such as railways in the

Papal States 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 ...

. This line was extended to the new Roma Termini station on 22 October 1863. In 1860 the ''Società Pio Latina'' and the ''Società Pio Centrale''—the builder of the

Rome–Civitavecchia railway The Rome–Civitavecchia railway line is one of the oldest railways in Italy, constructed in what was then the Papal States, opening in 1859 and is 72.6 km long. The line now forms part of the Pisa–Rome line. History Construction The rail ...

, opened in 1859—combined to form the Società per le strade ferrate romane ("Roman Railway Company"), which then absorbed the ''Royal Neapolitan Railway Company''. It opened an section from Roma Termini to

Ceprano Ceprano (Central-Northern Latian dialect: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, in the Latin Valley, part of the Lazio region of central Italy. It is south of Rome and about north of Naples. History Ceprano was part of the Pa ...

– Falvaterra (including the Porta Maggiore–Ciampino section) on 1 December 1862. The Capua– Tora–

Presenzano Presenzano (Campanian: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about north of Naples and about northwest of Caserta Caserta () is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Camp ...

section had been opened on 14 October 1861 and the final section between Ceprano–Falvaterra and Tora–Presenzano was opened on 25 February 1863.

Branches and connections

* Ciampino to

Frascati Frascati () is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated wit ...

, Albano Laziale and

Velletri Velletri (; la, Velitrae; xvo, Velester) is an Italian ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, approximately 40 km to the southeast of the city centre, located in the Alban Hills, in the region of Lazio, central Italy. Neighbouring comm ...

Roccasecca Roccasecca is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Frosinone, in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is the birthplace of Thomas Aquinas. History The history of Roccasecca is tightly bound to its strategic position, a "dry '' rocca''" at ...

to Avezzano ( Roccasecca–Avezzano line) *

Rocca d'Evandro Rocca d'Evandro is a ''Comune'' (Municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about northwest of Naples and about northwest of Caserta. History Ancient Roman archaeological findings have been excavated in the ...

Isernia Isernia () or, in Pliny and later writers, ''Eserninus'', or in the Antonine Itinerary, ''Serni''. is a town and ''comune'' in the southern Italian region of Molise, and the capital of province of Isernia. Geography Situated on a rocky crest ...

and

Campobasso Campobasso (, ; nap, label= Campobassan, Cambuàsce ) is a city and ''comune'' in southern Italy, the capital of the region of Molise and of the province of Campobasso. It is located in the high basin of the Biferno river, surrounded by Sa ...

( Rocca d'Evandro–Venafro line ) * Vairano- Caianello to

and

( Termoli–Campobasso–Carpinone–Isernia–Vairano line) * Sparanise to Gaeta ( Sparanise–Gaeta line)—currently suspended *

Santa Maria Capua Vetere Santa Maria Capua Vetere ( nap, Santa Maria 'e Capua) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, part of the region of Campania (southern Italy). Though it is not connected with the ''Civitas Capuana'', the town is a medieval place and ...

to Piedimonte Matese *

to Benevento and Aversa * Cancello to Benevento, Salerno and

Torre Annunziata Torre Annunziata (; nap, Torr'Annunziata) is a city and commune in the Metropolitan City of Naples, region of Campania in Italy. It is located on the Gulf of Naples at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. History The city was destroyed in the Vesuvius ...

History

Branches and connections

Notes

See also