The Domodossola–Locarno railway line, informally called the Centovallina in Switzerland and the Vigezzina in Italy, is a metre-gauge railway negotiating the dramatic mountainous terrain between Domodossola, Italy, and Locarno, Switzerland. It passes through the Vigezzo Valley (Italian side) and Centovalli (Swiss side).
Opened on 25 November 1923, the 52-kilometre (32 mi) long railway has 30 stations and takes approximately 2 hours to traverse the whole length. The Italian-Swiss border is crossed between the towns of Ribellasca and Camedo.
Following a convention signed in Rome on 12 November 1918 between the plenipotentiaries Sidney Sonnino and De Segesser, respectively, of the King of Italy and the Federal Council of the Swiss Confederation, the construction of the railway began. The railway started with an initiative mainly due to the then Mayor of Locarno Francis Dance.[citation needed] The builders used part of the existing metre gauge Locarno-Ponte Brolla-Bignasco railway line [it] at the start of the eastern end of the new line. This set the metre gauge of the whole line. The new line from Ponte Brolla to Domodossola opened on 27 November 1923.[4] The Ponte Brolla-Bignasco section closed in 1965.[5] The line was re-routed to a new underground station at Locarno FART in 1990.[6]
Since then the railway has regularly performed its task of connecting the communities between Locarno and Domodossola. The line continued after the period of mass motorization, when some considered the train to be obsolete.
The railway currently plays an important economic and tourist function in the area. It is the shortest and most scenic link between the major trans-Alpine railways that pass through the Simplon and Gotthard tunnels. Combined with the Simplon railway, it provides a fast connection between the Swiss Cantons of Valais and Ticino.
1978 flood
On 7 August 1978, a flood struck the railway causing damage affecting almost 700 metres of track, mainly on the Italian side. Thankfully there were no injuries but reconstruction of the line lasted until the end of the year.[7]
Specifications
Engine Tm 2/2 9 of the maintenance team in Intragna station
Electrical substations: 5 (including 3 in Switzerland)
Stations and stops with passing loops: 21 (13 in Italian territory, 8 in Switzerland)
Passengers transported annually between 1982 and 1985:
1982 - 896,411
1983 - 917,737
1984 - 852,381
1985 - 869,215
Route
The route, like other mountain railways, has some dramatic inclines between the Masera and Santa Maria Maggiore (Italy), and between Verdasio and Intragna (Switzerland); in some places the gradient is 60 per thousand.
A trip between Domodossola and Locarno, takes slightly less than 2 hours. The railroad connects with the Swiss national railway terminals at both ends. At Locarno, trains run frequently to scenic Lugano.
The name "Centovalli" (100 valleys) derives from the existence of the many valleys along the line upon which are perched small towns. The mountainous geography means that there are many bridges and viaducts to admire on a journey. The trip is exceptionally scenic and negotiates many gorges.
Fares and equipment
Panoramic train at Ponte Brolla
Since at least October 2012,[8] there is new rolling stock called the "panoramic train". When taking this train, regardless of the type of ticket held, a supplement of €1.50 or CHF1.50 per passenger is collected, in cash, on board by the conductor. The departure board mentions "supplemento" for runs on the panoramic train. The supplement is not collected on other trains on the route, however for much of the day there is no alternative between Camedo and Domodossola.
Although it is an Italian train, the Centovalli fare (but not the supplement) is included in the scope of the various Swiss Rail flat rate and discount passes, as are journeys from Domodossola. The Swiss portion of the line is managed by Ferrovie Autolinee Regionali Ticinesi. On the Swiss side, directional signs and employees prominently display the company's acronym, FART.
^. Society for the Ticino Regional Railways Bus (FART) Ltd. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
^"Domodossola - Locarno". Youtube. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
References
Wägli, Hans G.; Jacobi, Sébastien (2010). Schienennetz Schweiz - Bahnprofil Schweiz CH+ [Swiss rail network] (in German) (3rd ed.). Zürich: AS Verlag. ISBN978-3-909111-74-9.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Domodossola–Locarno railway.
Official website (Switzerland)
Official website (Italy)
April 11, 2023
domodossola, locarno, railway, line, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, schola. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Domodossola Locarno railway line news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2014 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Domodossola Locarno railway line informally called the Centovallina in Switzerland and the Vigezzina in Italy is a metre gauge railway negotiating the dramatic mountainous terrain between Domodossola Italy and Locarno Switzerland It passes through the Vigezzo Valley Italian side and Centovalli Swiss side Domodossola LocarnoABe 4 8 48 on the Isorno bridge near IntragnaOverviewStatusOperationalLocaleCentovalli and Valle VigezzoTerminiDomodossolaLocarnoStations22ServiceOperator s FART SSIF de HistoryOpened1923TechnicalLine length52 1 kilometres 32 37 mi Number of tracks1 main track with dual track at certain stations Track gauge1 000 mm 3 ft 3 3 8 in metre gaugeElectrification1350 V DC 1 Route mapLegendkm elevSBB to Giubiasco 1 8 LocarnoLocarno FARTLocarno Piazza Castello0 0 Locarno San Antonio0 5 Solduno1 3 Solduno S Martino3 40 0 Ponte BrollaMaggiaFART to Bignasco it 0 9 Tegna1 9 Versico2 6 Cavigliano4 7 Intragna7 2 Corcapolo9 5 Verdasio11 2 Palagnedra12 0 Borgnone Cadanza13 1 Camedo13 732 3 SwitzerlandItaly border32 2 Ribellasca27 6 Folsogno Dissimo25 9 Re24 5 Villette22 5 Malesco21 9 Zornasco20 9 Prestinone19 4 Santa Maria Maggiore18 5 Buttogno17 0 Druogno15 7 Gagnone Orcesco13 9 Coimo12 2 Marone9 7 Verigo8 1 Trontano5 8 Creggio4 0 MaseraToceDomodossola SSIFSBB to Brig0 0 DomodossolaRFI to MilanThis diagram viewtalkeditIt touches the villages of Druogno Santa Maria Maggiore Malesco and Intragna and carried over 1 million passengers in 2010 It is operated by the Ferrovie Autolinee Regionali Ticinesi FART in Switzerland and the Societa Subalpina Imprese Ferroviarie de SSIF in Italy 2 3 Opened on 25 November 1923 the 52 kilometre 32 mi long railway has 30 stations and takes approximately 2 hours to traverse the whole length The Italian Swiss border is crossed between the towns of Ribellasca and Camedo Contents 1 History 2 1978 flood 3 Specifications 4 Route 5 Fares and equipment 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksHistory Edit ABe 8 8 23 passing Ruinacci bridge over Palagnedra lake Following a convention signed in Rome on 12 November 1918 between the plenipotentiaries Sidney Sonnino and De Segesser respectively of the King of Italy and the Federal Council of the Swiss Confederation the construction of the railway began The railway started with an initiative mainly due to the then Mayor of Locarno Francis Dance citation needed The builders used part of the existing metre gauge Locarno Ponte Brolla Bignasco railway line it at the start of the eastern end of the new line This set the metre gauge of the whole line The new line from Ponte Brolla to Domodossola opened on 27 November 1923 4 The Ponte Brolla Bignasco section closed in 1965 5 The line was re routed to a new underground station at Locarno FART in 1990 6 Since then the railway has regularly performed its task of connecting the communities between Locarno and Domodossola The line continued after the period of mass motorization when some considered the train to be obsolete The railway currently plays an important economic and tourist function in the area It is the shortest and most scenic link between the major trans Alpine railways that pass through the Simplon and Gotthard tunnels Combined with the Simplon railway it provides a fast connection between the Swiss Cantons of Valais and Ticino 1978 flood EditOn 7 August 1978 a flood struck the railway causing damage affecting almost 700 metres of track mainly on the Italian side Thankfully there were no injuries but reconstruction of the line lasted until the end of the year 7 Specifications Edit Engine Tm 2 2 9 of the maintenance team in Intragna station Gauge 1 000 mm 3 ft 3 3 8 in metre gauge Length about 52 2 km of which 32 300 is in Italian territory 19 833 in Switzerland Voltage 1 350 V DC 1 Electrical substations 5 including 3 in Switzerland Stations and stops with passing loops 21 13 in Italian territory 8 in Switzerland Passengers transported annually between 1982 and 1985 1982 896 411 1983 917 737 1984 852 381 1985 869 215Route EditThe route like other mountain railways has some dramatic inclines between the Masera and Santa Maria Maggiore Italy and between Verdasio and Intragna Switzerland in some places the gradient is 60 per thousand A trip between Domodossola and Locarno takes slightly less than 2 hours The railroad connects with the Swiss national railway terminals at both ends At Locarno trains run frequently to scenic Lugano The name Centovalli 100 valleys derives from the existence of the many valleys along the line upon which are perched small towns The mountainous geography means that there are many bridges and viaducts to admire on a journey The trip is exceptionally scenic and negotiates many gorges Fares and equipment Edit Panoramic train at Ponte Brolla Since at least October 2012 8 there is new rolling stock called the panoramic train When taking this train regardless of the type of ticket held a supplement of 1 50 or CHF1 50 per passenger is collected in cash on board by the conductor The departure board mentions supplemento for runs on the panoramic train The supplement is not collected on other trains on the route however for much of the day there is no alternative between Camedo and Domodossola Although it is an Italian train the Centovalli fare but not the supplement is included in the scope of the various Swiss Rail flat rate and discount passes as are journeys from Domodossola The Swiss portion of the line is managed by Ferrovie Autolinee Regionali Ticinesi On the Swiss side directional signs and employees prominently display the company s acronym FART Notes Edit a b Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz Verlag Schweers Wall GmbH 2012 p 58 ISBN 978 3 89494 130 7 Centivalli Railway Swiss Travel System Archived from the original on September 12 2011 Retrieved September 16 2011 Rotabile Society for the Ticino Regional Railways Bus FART Ltd Archived from the original on November 21 2015 Retrieved September 16 2011 Wagli amp Jacobi 2010 p 29 Wagli amp Jacobi 2010 p 31 Wagli amp Jacobi 2010 p 35 Storia Society for the Ticino Regional Railways Bus FART Ltd Archived from the original on October 1 2011 Retrieved September 16 2011 Domodossola Locarno Youtube Retrieved 13 October 2015 References EditWagli Hans G Jacobi Sebastien 2010 Schienennetz Schweiz Bahnprofil Schweiz CH Swiss rail network in German 3rd ed Zurich AS Verlag ISBN 978 3 909111 74 9 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Domodossola Locarno railway Official website Switzerland Official website Italy Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Domodossola Locarno railway line amp oldid 1121726004, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
