Circumvesuviana

Circumvesuviana () is a railway network in the east of the Naples metropolitan area, operated by EAV. Electrically powered throughout, the system uses the narrow gauge of and operates of route on six lines. It is entirely separate from other national and regional railway lines. It has 96 stations with an average interstation distance of .

The Circumvesuviana railway covers a wide catchment area of over 2 million people, distributed in 47 municipalities, including Scafati, San Valentino Torio and Sarno in the province of Salerno and Avella and Baiano in the province of Avellino. The network forms an important commercial artery, and provides services to the tourist destinations of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

All routes start from the Napoli Porta Nolana terminus near the Porta Nolana, and pass through Napoli Garibaldi station before splitting into several branches to towns in the province. A journey along the entirety of the longest route, the from Naples to Sorrento, takes about one hour.

In 2024, the railway network transported approximately 23 million passengers.

History

Early years

In 1884, a narrow-gauge railway line was inaugurated, connecting Naples with Baiano via Nola, operated by the Société Anonyme Chemin de fer Naples-Nola-Baiano et Extensions.

However, the true birth of the Circumvesuviana dates back to November 18, 1890, when the Società Anonima Ferrovia Napoli Ottaviano inaugurated the line between these locations. On February 9 of the following year, the line was extended to San Giuseppe Vesuviano (then a district of Ottaviano), reaching a length of 23 km. The entire railway was a single-track, narrow-gauge line operated with steam traction.

In May 1901, management was taken over by the Società Anonima Strade Ferrate Secondarie Meridionali (SFSM), which, over the following years, extended the original line to Sarno and built a new coastal route. This route connected Naples with the densely populated towns of Portici, Ercolano, Torre del Greco, Torre Annunziata, and Pompei, before merging with the Naples-Sarno line near Poggiomarino. This expansion completed the ideal railway loop around Mount Vesuvius, effectively creating the Circumvesuviana, which stretched approximately 64 km, crossed 23 municipalities, served a population of about 300,000 people, and recorded around 3 million passengers annually.

On March 25, 1905, the Naples-Pompei-Poggiomarino line was electrified.

A significant event took place on January 6, 1913, with the inauguration of Pugliano station, which was shared with the Pugliano-Vesuvio railway.

21st Century

Following Decree-Law No. 422 of November 19, 1997, local-interest railways were gradually transferred to the Regions, which became responsible for public transportation services. As part of this reform, on January 1, 2001, the governmental commissioner management (''Gestione commissariale governativa di aziende di trasporto'') ceased, and Circumvesuviana Srl, a company owned by the Campania Region, was established.

During the same period, new routes were inaugurated, including the - section of the Naples- line, which connects Botteghelle station to San Giorgio a Cremano, passing through the Ponticelli district with five underground stations. Another extension involved the existing link between and the industrial area, extending to , reaching a total length of 3 km.

At the end of 2008, the double-tracking of the Ponticelli-Cercola section on the Naples-Ottaviano-Sarno line was completed. In the same year, the new series 200 electric trains entered service. With the arrival of these trains, stations underwent modifications, including raising the platforms.

In 2009, a section of the Naples-Poggiomarino line, including and stations, was reopened after a complete reconstruction with double-track underground alignment.

In 2010, a train derailed in the Gianturco area, resulting in one fatality and numerous injuries.

On December 27, 2012, the management company was merged into Ente Autonomo Volturno (EAV), which subsequently took over operation of the entire network.

In 2017, the station was inaugurated in Torre Annunziata, along the Torre Annunziata-Sorrento line. That same year, work resumed on the double-tracking project between and , which had been halted since 2011.

The double-tracking project on the Naples- line is ongoing, including:

* Activation of the second track between Torre Annunziata and Castellammare di Stabia
* Demolition of Via Nocera station to accommodate the second track
* Construction of a road and pedestrian underpass, replacing the Via Giuseppe Cosenza level crossing
* Excavation of a new tunnel parallel to the existing one, eliminating the Via Grotta San Biagio level crossing
* Installation of noise barriers along the railway area

The underpass will ensure a constant connection between Castellammare Centro and Rione San Marco, eliminating current interruptions caused by level crossing closures. It will also create pedestrian and vehicular access areas for emergency vehicles and commercial loading/unloading. This project is essential as it will increase train frequency on the Naples-Castellammare route to every 12 minutes and improve connections to Sorrento.

By 2025, a new connection between the Circumvesuviana lines and the High-Speed Rail network is expected to be activated. This will involve the construction of a branch from station to station.

Lines

All lines are powered by electric overhead lines. The trains operate under the following categories:
*A (): train stops at all stations
*DD (): train stops only at selected stations, without surcharge
*EXP (): train stops only at selected stations, with surcharge

Rolling stock

The network uses two types of rolling stock, both electrically powered: FE220 units, T21 and "Metrostar" articulated trains. Power is supplied by overhead catenary and the train motors can generate up to of power.

The FE220 cars are usually coupled together to form a two- or three-car multiple units, painted white with red doors and ends. The FE220 trains come in two different variations.

Twenty-six ETR211 "Metrostar" three-car articulated units were introduced between November 2008 and September 2009. Manufactured by a consortium of Firema and AnsaldoBreda, these trains are capable of carrying 450 passengers and are styled by Pininfarina. As well as being more powerful than the FE220 units, they have computer driving aids, self-levelling suspension.
These units are mostly used to provide the express service whilst the FE220 provide cheaper, stopping services which tend to be far more crowded.

In October 2024 the first of the new trains ordered from Stadler was delivered. 56 new trains have been ordered and will be delivered in 2025 and 2026.

References

See also

* Naples metropolitan railway service
* List of suburban and commuter rail systems

External links

*

Current schedules on the EAV site
(In Italian, but schedules are numeric once you select a line)

Official Circumvesuviana site
(In Italian, last updated 2002)


(mostly in Italian with a summary in English)

{{Urban public transport in Italy

Railway lines in Campania
Naples metropolitan railway service
Railway lines opened in 1890
950 mm gauge railways in Italy
Mount Vesuvius