The FL lines, formerly Lazio regional railways (Italian: ferrovie regionali del Lazio, also Ferrovie Laziali) consist of 8 commuter rail lines operated by Trenitalia, converging on the city of Rome. It operates as a combined suburban railway system that connects the city-centre and the outskirts of the city via a commuter rail line.[2]

FL lines
Logo
TAF train at Balduina station
TAF train at Balduina station
Overview
Area servedRome metropolitan area, Lazio
LocaleRome, Lazio
Transit typeCommuter rail
Number of lines8
Number of stations131
Daily ridership286,241[1]
Websitetrenitalia.com
Operation
Began operation1994
Operator(s)Trenitalia
Infrastructure manager(s)Rete Ferroviaria Italiana
Rolling stockE.464, TAF, Jazz,
ETR 421/521/621 Rock
Technical
System length672 km (417.6 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification3 kV DC, overhead line
System map

The FL network, initially made up of two lines and called FM lines (Metropolitan Railways), was formally inaugurated in 1994, following the signing of an agreement between the Lazio Region, the Municipality of Rome, the Province of Rome and Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, aimed at implementing a new integrated transport structure in the Roman metropolitan and regional area.[3]

Lines FL1, FL2 and FL3 function like a rapid transit service, integrated with the Rome Metro and surface transportation. The other lines (numbered from FL4 to FL8) mostly serve the suburban area of Rome and the Lazio region, and used almost exclusively for commuter traffic.

Lines

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Line Terminals Year opened Daily ridership Length Stations Operator
  Orte - Fiumicino Aeroporto 1994 65,000 118 kilometres (73 mi) 26 Trenitalia
  Roma Tiburtina - Tivoli 1994 22,000 40 kilometres (25 mi) 13 Trenitalia
  Roma Tiburtina - Viterbo Porta Fiorentina 1999 60,000 88 kilometres (55 mi) 28 Trenitalia
  Roma Termini - Frascati / Albano Laziale / Velletri 1994 55,000 24 kilometres (15 mi) / 29 kilometres (18 mi) / 41 kilometres (25 mi) 20 Trenitalia
  Roma Termini - Civitavecchia 1994 40,000 77 kilometres (48 mi) 14 Trenitalia
  Roma Termini - Cassino 1994 50,000 137 kilometres (85 mi) 22 Trenitalia
  Roma Termini - Minturno - Scauri 1994 40,000 137.4 kilometres (85.4 mi) 13 Trenitalia
  Roma Termini - Nettuno 2004 40,000 60 kilometres (37 mi) 12 Trenitalia

Service

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All eight lines are considered regional trains by Trenitalia. On timetables and departure boards at the stations the trains are marked with the letter R (Regional). The service timetable is based on a clock-face scheduling.

Frequencies

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Sections with one train every 15 minutes:

  • Fiumicino Aeroporto - Fara Sabina (line FL1)
  • Roma Ostiense - Cesano di Roma (line FL3)

Sections with one train every 30 minutes:

  • Fiumicino Aeroporto - Fara Sabina - Poggio Mirteto (line FL1)
  • Roma Tiburtina - Lunghezza (line FL2)
  • Cesano - Bracciano (line FL3)
  • Roma Termini - Civitavecchia (line FL5)

Sections with one train every 60 minutes:

  • Fiumicino Aeroporto - Poggio Mirteto - Orte (line FL1)
  • Lunghezza - Tivoli (line FL2)
  • Bracciano - Viterbo Porta Fiorentina (line FL3)

Fares

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For travel between stations in the City of Rome, ticketing is integrated with the Metrebus Rome system.[4] A passenger may use the integrated ticket "BIT" from €1,50 (valid for 100 minutes) or any other type of integrated ticket or Metrebus pass; in addition, Trenitalia sells special "Anello" tickets where one may travel on any Trenitalia train within the City of Rome with a single €1 ticket (valid for 90 minutes). The "Anello" and the Metrebus Rome tickets are only valid within Rome, bounded by the stations: Capannelle (FL4 and FL6), Cesano di Roma (FL3), Fiera di Roma (FL1), Lunghezza (FL2), Roma Aurelia (FL5), Settebagni (FL1) and Torricola (FL7 and FL8).

For all trips that take place outside the "Anello" ring, or that cross through the ring, the typical regional mileage rate applies.[1]

Rolling stock

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Much of the service is operated by double-decker trainsets, usually operating in double formations. The fleet of convoys operating on the network is made up of 388 trains on the entire Lazio railway network,[1] distinguished according to service needs:

  • Treno ad alta frequentazione (TAF): introduced in 1998 and is the most used train on much of the network;
  • Jazz: since 2014, used only on the FL4 line;
  • E.464 + Vivalto: The E464 locomotive coupled to the Vivalto double-decker carriages, this type of train is mainly used on the FL5, FL6, FL7 and FL8 lines.
  • ETR Rock: introduced in 2021, the new high-traffic train aimed at replacing the old TAFs, operating mainly on the FL1 and FL3 lines.[5]
TAF train of the FL3 line at Roma San Filippo Neri station
TAF train of the FL1 line at Roma Ostiense station
The ETR Rock train in Lego Super Mario Bros. livery of the FL1 line at Roma Tiburtina station

Planned extensions

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Following the upgrading of the Rome railway hub by RFI, new FL stops will be built such as Roma Pigneto, in correspondence with the Pigneto station of the metro, which will be the third busiest railway hub in Rome after Roma Termini and Roma Tiburtina,[6] and track doubling and quadrupling will be implemented on the existing sections as well as technological upgrades for the safety and control of train movement (the implementation of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) in the Rome hub is expected by 2024[7]).

In June 2022, 32 years after the 1990 FIFA World Cup, the Valle Aurelia - Vigna Clara route was reactivated with the related Vigna Clara stop, which will be a fundamental part of the so-called "Cintura-Nord" (Northern Belt), whose closure, expected for years, will to complete the Rome railway ring.[8][9]

A year later, in June 2023, the Val d'Ala station was reopened, which is served by some trains of the FL2 line that leave and return from the "Roma Smistamento" depot.

Network map

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See also

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Bibliography

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  • Blasimme, Paolo (May–June 1968). "Il treno-metrò di Roma". Italmodel Ferrovie (139): 4520–4525.
  • Cruciani, Marcello (September 1994). "Roma per i suoi pendolari". I Treni (152): 26–28.
  • De Grisantis, G. (April 1977). "Il servizio urbano FS a Roma". Italmodel Ferrovie (203): 234–238.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Carta dei servizi 2024 Lazio" (PDF) (in Italian). Trenitalia.
  2. ^ "Piano Regionale della Mobilità, dei Trasporti e della Logistica - Il nodo ferroviario" [Regional Mobility, Transport and Logistics Plan - The railway hub] (PDF) (in Italian). Regione Lazio, Centro di ricerca per il trasporto e la logistica, Sapienza University of Rome. December 2020.
  3. ^ "LAZIO SU ROTAIA" (PDF) (in Italian). Dimensione Trasporti.
  4. ^ "metrebus roma" (PDF). ATAC SpA.
  5. ^ "In servizio il primo Rock a 6 casse della DPR Lazio" (in Italian).
  6. ^ "NODO DI PIGNETO" (in Italian).
  7. ^ "ERTMS HD nei Nodi Urbani (par. 8.1.6)" (in Italian).
  8. ^ "Interventi previsti dall'accordo quadro Rfi-Regione lazio" (PDF) (in Italian). Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  9. ^ "Brochure RFI" (PDF). Retrieved 6 December 2009.
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