Catania Metro

Catania Metro

Catania Metro train at Porto Station.
Overview
Locale Catania, Sicily, Italy
Transit type Rapid transit/Light metro
Number of lines 1
Number of stations 6
Operation
Began operation 27 June 1999[1]
Operator(s) Ferrovia Circumetnea
Number of vehicles 7 FCE M.88
Technical
System length 3.8 km (2.4 mi)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification 3 kV DC electric traction
System map

The Catania Metro (Italian: Metropolitana di Catania) is a light metro system serving the city of Catania, Sicily, in southern Italy. It is the southernmost metro in Europe.

It has been in operation since 27 June 1999,[1] and consists of a single line approximately 3.8 kilometres (2.4 mi) long with six stations. The line is underground for approximately half of its length (between the stations of Borgo and Galatea). Service frequency is limited to once every 15 minutes because the line is single-track for half of its length (over the at-grade section between stations Galatea and Porto), hence trains operate as shuttles.

History & construction

The section of the line between the stations of Borgo and Porto originally belonged to the Ferrovia Circumetnea narrow-gauge regional railway which was constructed in 1895.

For the operation of the metro, this portion of the rail line was converted to standard gauge and mostly moved underground into a double track 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi)[1] cut-and-cover tunnel, except for the part of the route adjacent to the coast which runs on the surface for 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) and which is single tracked.[1] Thus, the narrow-gauge Circumetnea railway's original terminus at Catania Porto had to be moved to Borgo due to the development of the Catania Metro.

The Metropolitana and the Circumetnea railways are operated by the same company, which has its offices at Catania Borgo.

Current service

Catania Metro
Legend
 Borgo(interchange with FCE)
 Giuffrida
 Italia
 Galatea
FS Centrale(interchange with FS)
 Porto

The metro currently suffers from poor ridership, as its current route merely skirts the city centre and therefore does not reach many popular destinations. Another reason for this is the service frequency limit of one train every 15 minutes, imposed by the single-track at-grade coastal section. The metro is closed on Sundays and public holidays.

List of Catania metro stations

Future service and planned extensions

An extension to the system was given the green light on March 30, 2006. It involves a branch from the existing line at Galatea westward through the city center, which is planned eventually to reach Catania's Fontanarossa airport to the south.[2] This solution was favored over proposals for an airport link by means of a new station on the Catania-Siracusa line, which runs past the airport and is part of the national rail network. New underground stations at Piazza Giovanni XXIII and Piazza Stesicoro, among others, will serve the city center.

Another extension, westward from the current terminal at Borgo, using the current Circumetnea right-of-way, is also under construction as far as Nesima, toward the north-western border of the city.

The completion and inauguration of both sections from Piazza Stesicono to Nesima is planned for the middle of 2016.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Comune di Catania - Informazioni e servizi al cittadino - Ferrovia Circumetnea - Metropolitana di Catania - La Linea Metropolitana" [Municipality of Catania - Information and services for citizens - Circumetnea Railway - Metropolitan Catania - The Metropolitan Line] (in Italian). Comune di Catania. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
  2. ↑ Tartaglia, Andrea. "Catania Subway". URBAN RAILWAY - RETI FERROVIARIE ITALIANE. Retrieved 2013-08-22.
  3. ↑ "Catania rinasce dal sottosuolo" (in Italian).

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rapid transit in Catania.