|
The first train
On the 27th of July 1857 Franz Josef
Emperor of Austria solemnly opened the Lubiana - Trieste railway, thus connecting
Trieste with the capital Vienna.
The railway line between Udine and Venice
was ready only in 1860. In 1879 the projects for rail expansion brought to the
construction of the Udine
-
Pontebba - Tarvisio line.
In the following years the “Società
Veneta” contributed to the development and construction of further lines (see
private and concession railways).
In the
first years of the 20th century after the takeover by the private company
“Southern Austrian Railways” (Südbahn) the need for an alternative route to the
Trieste
-
Lubiana
-
Vienna was increasingly felt. As a direct consequence of this in
1906 the Transalpina was opened, a line that daringly winding its way along the
Isonzo and Vipacco valleys joined the state network at Jezenice.
Trieste’s second
railway station
Obviously Trieste’s railway station could
not remain the same. Sant’Andrea station (later to become Campo Marzio station)
was consequently moved and enlarged, formerly staring point of the junction with
the Istrian railway to Erpelle.
This station was also the departing point
(from 1902 to 1935) of the narrow 760 mm gauge
Trieste
-Capodistria
-
Buje
-
Visinada
-
Parenzo line better known as the "Parenzana".
The new borders
In the aftermath of the Second World War
the region was deprived of certain territories near Trieste and relations with
Tito’s new Federative Republic of Yugoslavia became more difficult. For this
reason the Trieste
-
Erpelle and the Tarvisio
-
Fusine
-
Ratece were reduced to
“mutilated” lines that saw ever reducing traffic till their inevitable closure
in the 50s and 60s.
A new mobility based more and more on
private cars and on buses brought to the decline of other lines that, amid the
total disregard of the population and the local government, “temporarily” ended
service (the Casarsa
-
Spilimbergo
-
Pinzano is such an example).
Other upgradement projects, such as the
rectification of the Udine
- Trieste line between Redipuglia and Cormons were
abandoned in favour of priorities like the marshalling yard at Cervignano.
Another new and imposing achievement of
particular importance was the new “Pontebbana”, at the moment unfortunately not
used to its full extent, which, mostly through tunnels or on viaducts, allows
trains to run on double track at a speed of 160 Km/h.
The new joint-stock company Trenitalia
S.p.A., formerly Ferrovie dello Stato (State Railways), operates regular service
on all the main routes of the region.
Double track lines are the
Trieste
-
Cervignano
-
Latisana (-
Venice), the Trieste
-
Gorizia
-
Udine
-
Pordenone
(Treviso
-
Venice) and the brand new Udine
-
Tarvisio (-
Arnoldstein), all
electrified.
Single track lines are the
Gemona
-
Pinzano
-
Sacile (or "Pedemontana"), the Cervignano
-
Palmanova
-
Udine, the
Ronchi Sud
-
Ronchi Nord junction, the Gorizia
(
-
Vrtojba
-
Nova Gorica), the Udine
orbital and the Trieste Campo Marzio
-
Rozzol
-
Opicina with its continuation to
Monrupino (-
Kreplje -
Nova Gorica) ("Transalpina").
Among the new railway lines to be built in
the future, there is the new high speed Paris
-
Lione
-
Turin
-
Milan
-
Venice
-
Trieste
route, with its continuation towards Eastern Europe; the section between
Monfalcone and Trieste should be mostly trough tunnels due to the difficult
orographic situation.
One must also remember the various
industrial junctions in concession to companies that carry out shunting
activities in railway marshalling yards, among these the Carnia
-
Tolmezzo, the
San Giorgio - Porto Nogaro, the new Fincantieri shipyards junction and the
connection with the port of Monfalcone, and the Trieste - Aquilinia -
Noghere
line.
Regarding
the Carnia - Tolmezzo line, recently a committee for its tourist exploitation
has been formed in Udine. Among its promoters there is the Transport Enthusiasts
Section of the “Dopolavoro Ferroviario”, the railway workers recreational
organization.
|
