Genoa–Pisa railway

The Genoa–Pisa railway is one of the trunk lines of the Italian railway network. It runs along the Ligurian coast from Genoa to Pisa through the Riviera di Levante and the Versilia. It passes through the cities of Massa, Carrara and La Spezia. South of Pisa the Pisa–Rome line continues along the Tyrrhenian coast to Rome. The line is double track and is fully electrified at 3,000 V DC. Passenger traffic is managed by Trenitalia.

Genoa–Pisa railway
A train at La Spezia Centrale station
Overview
Owner	RFI
Service
Operator(s)	Trenitalia
History
Opened	1861–1874
Technical
Line length	165 km (103 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	3000 V DC
Route map Legend km elev from Asti, Turin, Milan and Ventimiglia 0.000 Genova Piazza Principe 2.542 Genova Brignole goods line from Gavette/Macelli Terralba deviation opened in 1915 5.551 Sturla (closed 1915) Genova Sturla (opened 1915) Via Tabarca (closed 1915) (4.378) Lojolo (closed 1915) 7.111 Genova Quarto dei Mille Pietrarugia Giuncate deviation opened in 1922 Via Argiroffo 9.140 Quinto / Genova Quinto al Mare 9.981 Via Cattaneo (closed in 1948)^[1] 10.791 Genova Nervi Genova Sant'Ilario 12.922 Bogliasco 13.818 Pontetto Pieve di Sori 15.086 Pieve Ligure (opened 1922) Sori (1868) 16.463 Sori 18.601 Mulinetti 20.022 Recco Priaro (closed 1981)^[2] 21.744 Camogli-San Fruttuoso San Lorenzo 26.818 Santa Margherita Ligure-Portofino San Michele di Pagana 29.193 Rapallo 32.804 Zoagli 37.654 Chiavari 39.856 Lavagna 42.340 Cavi deviation opened in 1925 45.118 Sestri Levante 48.043 Riva Trigoso deviation opened in 1932 Fincantieri link 53.280 Moneglia 57.091 Deiva Marina former link from Framura to Fornaci quarry 60.558 Framura deviation opened in 1970 63.476 Bonassola 66.402 Levanto 70.711 70.381 Monterosso 73.607 Vernazza 76.837 Corniglia 78.804 78.712 Manarola 79.474 Riomaggiore former Arsenal Railway 86.162 172.462 La Spezia Centrale 171.549 La Spezia Scalo 169.669 La Spezia Migliarina La Spezia Marittima 167.500 Cà di Boschetti 164.896 Vezzano Ligure 162.877 Arcola junction 161.646 Arcola (1864–2004) to Parma 160.641 Romito deviation opened in 1944 Magra river A12 - E80 disused connection from Parma line 157.495 Sarzana San Lazzaro 151.594 Luni Liguria Tuscany from Carrara and Marmifera railway from Marina di Carrara Carrara-Marina di Carrara tramway (1915–1955) 146.997 Carrara-Avenza (1862–2012) 146.773 link to Frugoli sawmill Marmifera line to Fiorino 146.770 Carrione torrent Montecatini factory link to Carrara industrial lines central line (1938–1992) Carrara industrial lines northern line (1938–?) link to Carrara industrial lines central line (opened in 1938) 143.439 Massa Zona Industriale (opened in 1938) Massa tramway (closed in 1933) 140.271 Massa Centro 137.200 Montignoso 133.099 Forte dei Marmi-Seravezza-Querceta Versilia tramway (closed in 1936) 129.646 Pietrasanta Viareggio coastal tramway (closed in 1944) 124.364 Camaiore Lido-Capezzano (opened in 1949)^[3] A12—E80 Viareggio-Camaiore tramway Burlamacca canal 120.090 Viareggio (opened in 1936) Viareggio coastal tramway 118.760 Viareggio Scalo (closed in 1994) Fervet Sabbia yard to Florence link from MM artillery testing range to Torre del Lago peat bogs 114.014 Torre del Lago Puccini Migliarino Pisano (closed in 2003)^[4] Serchio river Autostrada A12—E80 100.930 Pisa F.M. Campaldo (crossing loops) to Lucca 100.133 Pisa San Rossore 99.672 La Spezia/Lucca turnout Arno river Pisa–Tirrenia–Livorno railway (closed in 1960) Pisa–Marina di Pisa tramway (closed in 1932) 98.607 Navicelli turnout to Livorno (via Tagliaferro) to Livorno and Pisa Airport 97.869 Pisa Centrale to Florence to Livorno (via "collodoca") to Vada km Source: Italian railway atlas^[5] This diagram: view talk edit

History

The line was created by the connection of two separate projects. The first, between Pisa and Massa, was an extension of the existing line from Pisa; the second was what was called the Ligurian railway.

Tuscan railway

Section	Opened^[6]
Pisa (Porta Nuova station)–Viareggio	15 April 1861
Pisa (Porta Nuova station)–Pisa (Leopolda station)	10 December 1861
Viareggio–Pietrasanta	12 December 1861
Pietrasanta–Seravezza	1 February 1862
Serravezza–Massa	1 November 1862
Massa–Sarzana	15 May 1863
Sarzana–La Spezia	4 August 1864
Genoa (Brignole station)–Chiavari	23 November 1868
Chiavari–Sestri Levante	25 April 1870
Genoa (Principe station)–Genoa (Brignole station)	25 July 1872
Sestri Levante–La Spezia	24 October 1874

On 15 April 1861, the Livornese Railway Company (Italian: Società delle Ferrovie Livornesi) opened the first 19 kilometre section between Pisa Porta Nuova station (now called Pisa San Rossore) and Viareggio (later called Viareggio Scalo). In the following December this was followed by a connection in the south with Pisa Centrale station and in the north a ten kilometre section from Viareggio to Pietrasanta. In 1862 two further sections were opened: on 1 February 3.5 kilometres between Pietrasanta and Seravezza and on 1 November seven kilometres between Seravezza and Massa.

In 1865, the Livornese Railway Company was absorbed by other companies and the Florence–Pistoia–Pisa and the Pisa–Massa–La Spezia lines were transferred to the Società per le Strade Ferrate Romane (Roman Railways).^[7] In 1869 the Roman Railways transferred them to the Società per le strade ferrate dell'Alta Italia (Upper Italian Railways).^[8]

Ligurian railway

The project for a Ligurian railway that would connect Ventimiglia with Massa (thus connecting the existing railways of central Italy) was agreed by a royal decree on 27 October 1860 but its realisation, because of the rugged Ligurian coast, proved the most difficult and costly project of the period. This line was built initially by the state railway of the Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont), but the line was assigned to the Upper Italian Railways on its establishment in 1865.^[8]

The first section of the project, 17 kilometre between Massa and Sarzana was opened on 15 May 1863 and was followed by the more difficult Sarzana–Vezzano Ligure–La Spezia section on 4 August 1864. On 23 November 1868, the first part of the northern end of the line was opened as the 36 kilometre section between Genova Brignole and Chiavari. This was followed by the extension to Sestri Levante on 25 April 1870.

On 25 July 1872 with the opening of the connecting tunnel between Genova Brignole and Genova Piazza Principe, the section of line to Sestri Levante was no longer isolated and was connected over the Apennines but especially to the line to Ventimiglia, which had been completed on 25 January 1872.

Sestri Levante–La Spezia

This was the most difficult section of the entire project. The railway had to run for long distances next to the sea and follow the twists of the coast to minimise the number and length of tunnels. In addition the bad weather of the winter of 1872 caused landslides, which forced changes to be made to the route during construction. Furthermore, since materials had to be transported by sea because long stretches of coastline were inaccessible by land, work was delayed by violent storms.

Finally on 24 July 1874 the line was opened to traffic.^[8] This stretch of line was truly revolutionary because it ended the isolation of small towns of the eastern Italian Riviera (the Riviera di Levante), including the famous Cinque Terre villages, which finally had a permanent link with the rest of the world. This stretch included 51 tunnels totalling over 28 kilometres in a total length of 44 kilometres and 23 bridges with a total length of nearly a kilometre. Because of the difficult topography of the area and the harsh conditions encountered during construction, the line had been built as a single track. Duplication was completed in 1971 with the opening of the last section between Framura and Monterosso, which included the new Levanto station.

The Mediterranean Network took over the line in 1885.^[9] In 1905 Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) was established and took over the line along with most other standard gauge railways in Italy.

Electrification

The Genoa-La Spezia line was electrified in two phases:

• Genoa–Sestri Levante was electrified with the three-phase system (3,700 V at 16.7 Hz) in May 1925 and converted to the 3,000 V DC system in February 1948.^[10]
• Sestri Levante–La Spezia was electrified with three-phase system in April 1926^[11] and then converted to 3,000 V DC in April 1947.^[10]

FS had started the conversion of its lines to DC in 1928. The electrification of the line was badly damaged during World War II and as a result it was rebuilt as a DC line.^[10]

Features

Operations are managed and controlled by the Sistema di Comando e Controllo ("command and control system"—SCC, an Italian version of centralized traffic control) of the Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, the subsidiary of the Ferrovie dello Stato group that is responsible for the management of the infrastructure, which supervises the rail traffic from the operations centre in Pisa for the section that runs from Civitavecchia to Sestri Levante (about 420 km) and from the operations centre of Genova Teglia for the section from Sestri Levante to the node of Genoa.

Route

Leaving Genova Brignole station, the railway runs through the eastern part of the city of Genoa, which it leaves at the former Sant'Ilario station. The landscape, characterised by the passage between villas, coast and cliffs, remains almost unchanged along the whole of the Golfo Paradiso as far as Camogli-San Fruttuoso.

 

Region train running to Deiva Marina

After crossing the promontory of Portofino, the line follows the Gulf of Tigullio, serving the tourist resorts from Santa Margherita Ligure to Riva Trigoso. This is the beginning of the Ligurian section, which is authorised for operations at higher speeds since the doubling of the line in recent times.

The line then crosses the localities from Moneglia to Monterosso, which is at the beginning of the Cinque Terre section, noted for its long tunnels and sudden glimpses of the Ligurian Sea, picturesque villages and sheer cliffs.

The landscape changes radically after La Spezia Centrale railway station and the line goes inland, reaching, after passing through junctions with a line to the port and the line to Parma, the plain of Luni, the last extension of Liguria.

In Tuscany, the line runs through the provinces of Massa and Carrara and Lucca, remaining almost at the centre of the plain formed over the centuries between the chain of the Apuan Alps and the coast. In this section there were once many crossings and junctions with the extensive network of interurban tramways that included the Carrara-Marina di Carrara tramway, the Massa tramway, the so-called Tranvia litoranea di Viareggio (Viareggio coastal tramway) and the Viareggio-Camaiore tramway.

After reaching Viareggio, the line passes through the junction with the line to Lucca and Florence, and reaches the Serchio river. It now enters the Pisan plain and arrives at Pisa San Rossore. This has an atypical layout for a passenger station as it is arranged in the triangle formed by the branch line of the railway to Lucca. During the construction of a building that was to have housed a new electronic control centre, which was subsequently moved to another location, the remains of an ancient Roman port were found. The famous Piazza dei Miracoli, with its leaning tower is not far away. A shed that housed the royal train when the Italian king resided at the San Rossore estate still exists to the north of the station. It is now used for the storage of material for the railway equipment factory of the CEMES company.

The railway viaduct over the Arno comes shortly before the end of the line at Pisa Centrale station.

Abandoned single-track lines

 

Genova Quinto: the remains of the railway tunnel in Via Gianelli

There remain several vestiges of disused sections of line as a result of the doubling carried out in Genoa in the 1910s and on the Sestri Levante–La Spezia section starting in the 1930s.

In Genoa, remains of a portion of the bridge over the Vernazza river at Sturla and a tunnel mouth next to the Via Gianelli at Quinto al Mare are still visible.

The section between Deiva Marina and Riva Trigoso was converted into a one-lane road, which is now operated in alternate directions, controlled by traffic lights; two sections of the Maremonti cycle path were built on the old railway tracks between Levanto and Bonassola and between Bonassola and Framura station.

Traffic

Since its opening, the Genoa–Pisa railway carried substantial traffic as it is a main line connecting Liguria and Piedmont, with Tuscany, Lombardy and southern Italy.

Long-distance services

 

Cisalpino EC train passing through Genova Quinto in 2007

Traditionally served by the major Turin–Rome express services, the Genoa–Pisa railway has been used by both regular services and seasonal and tourist trains running over the passes connecting to France and Switzerland. The most prestigious trains included the Palatino express with beds and couchettes, the Tirreno express and the Genova Sprint, first operated with ALe 601 electric multiple units and later with ETR 300 Settebello sets.^[12]

In 1989, the introduction of a new timetable by FS led to the establishment of a series of Intercity trains on the line, which led to the reduction of direct services running beyond Rome.^[13]

In 2010, the line was used by the first private long-distance trains,^[14] operated by the Arenaways company, which then went bankrupt.

Regional services

 

The first double-decker carriages in Liguria were put into service to meet the high demand

The particular locations of the coastal centres, particularly in the Ligurian area, favoured the establishment of local services for the connection of the countryside and hamlets.

These services proved to be particularly valuable both in the city of Genoa, thanks to the presence of numerous toll booths and stops, and, in the Cinque Terre, due to the lack of roads.

After Italian reform resulted in the transfer of responsibility for local transport to the regions, regional rail services were established as two main service groups, both carried out by Trenitalia:

• regional suburban trains that centre on Genoa and have as their main termini Genova Nervi and Recco, regional trains that end in Sestri Levante, fast regional trains on the Genoa–La Spezia route and regional trains running between Sestri Levante and La Spezia (serving the Cinque Terre) as part of the service contract with the Ligurian region;
• regional trains on the La Spezia–Pisa, La Spezia–Florence and Pontremoli–Florence (from the Parma–La Spezia line) routes, as part of a service contract with the Tuscany region ("Memorario" services). Some services from Milan or Bergamo (formerly the Freccia della Versilia—"arrow of Versilia"—service) towards Pisa are added to these, always running over the Parma–La Spezia line.

References

Footnotes

1. Azienda autonoma delle Ferrovie dello Stato, Service order no. 10, 1948.
2. "Notizie flash". I Treni Oggi (in Italian) (7): 5–6. March 1981.
3. Service order no. 67 of 1949
4. "Impianti FS". I Treni (in Italian). XXIV (252): 8. October 2003. ISSN 0392-4602.
5. Railway Atlas 2017, pp. 45–46, 50–51, 143, 145.
6. Prospetto cronologico 1926.
7. Kalla-Bishop 1971, p. 23.
8. Kalla-Bishop 1971, p. 41.
9. Kalla-Bishop 1971, p. 52.
10. Kalla-Bishop 1971, p. 104.
11. Kalla-Bishop 1971, p. 103
12. Blasi & Colasanti 1992.
13. "News". I Treni (in Italian) (90): 7. February 1989.
14. Minari, Marco (December 2010). "Arenaways è partita". I Treni (in Italian) (332): 13.

Sources

• Blasi, Bruno; Colasanti, Roberto (April 1992). ""Genova Sprint" sulla Tirrenica". I Treni Oggi (in Italian) (125): 14.
• Borghini, Egisto Umberto (1992). La strada ferrata da Porta ai Quercioli. Un tratto della linea Pisa-La Spezia (in Italian). Pisa: Edistudio.
• Bozzano, Corrado; Pastore, Roberto; Serra, Claudio (2010). Tra mare e monti da Genova alla Spezia (in Italian). Genova: Nuova Editrice Genovese. ISBN 978-88-88963-38-9.
• Carboncini, Adriano Betti (May–June 1992). "La ferrovia ligure". I Treni Oggi (in Italian) (126 and 127).
• Castiglioni, Franco (February 1985). "Cinque Terre, una ferrovia". I Treni Oggi (in Italian) (47): 25.
• Castiglioni, Franco (October 1997). "Gallerie delle Cinque Terre". I Treni (in Italian) (186): 34.
• Cruciani, Marcello (November 1989). "Meno fermate per la Tirrenica". I Treni Oggi (in Italian) (98): 17.
• Kalla-Bishop, P. M. (1971). Italian Railways. Newton Abbott, Devon, England: David & Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-5168-0.
• Landi, Pier Luigi (1972). "Intorno a un progetto di strada ferrata da Livorno a Genova (1856-1857)". Nuova Rivista Storica (in Italian) (III–IV): 376–388.
• Mandelli, Alessandro (April 2010). "Ferrovia delle Cinque Terre". Tutto Treno & Storia (in Italian) (23): 28.
• Mandelli, Alessandro (November 2010). "Trifase alle Cinque Terre". Tutto Treno & Storia (in Italian) (24): 22.
• Mandelli, Alessandro (October 2011). "Da Sestri a La Spezia". Tutto Treno & Storia (in Italian) (25): 46.
• Mandelli, Alessandro (April 2014). "La litoranea ligure di Levante". I Treni (in Italian) (369): 14–21.
• Tuzza, Alessandro, ed. (1927). "Prospetto cronologico dei tratti di ferrovia aperti all'esercizio dal 1839 al 31 dicembre 1926" (in Italian). Ufficio Centrale di Statistica delle Ferrovie dello Stato/Trenidicarta.it. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
• 1905-2005 Cento anni di FS in Toscana (in Italian) (Associazione Toscana Treni Storici ed.). Florence: Pegaso. 2005.
• Atlante ferroviario d'Italia e Slovenia [Railway atlas of Italy and Slovenia]. Schweers + Wall. 2010. ISBN 978-3-89494-129-1.
• Line 77 booklet (Genova-La Spezia) (in Italian). Rete Ferroviaria Italiana. 2003.
• Line 99 booklet (La Spezia-Pisa) (in Italian). Rete Ferroviaria Italiana. 2003.
• Tipografi della camera dei Deputati, ed. (1861). Atti del Parlamento italiano, sessione del 1861 (in Italian). Turin: tipografia Eredi Botta.

See also

• List of railway lines in Italy