Santhià–Arona railway

The Santhià–Arona railway is a railway line in Piedmont, Italy. It was inaugurated from 1905 to 1906.[2]

Santhià–Arona railway
Overview
Statusno traffic
OwnerRete Ferroviaria Italiana
Termini
Stations8 station
Service
TypeHeavy rail
Operator(s)Trenitalia
History
Opened18 May 1906 (1906-05-18)
Technical
Line length65 km (40 mi)
Number of tracks1
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Route map

km
0.000
Santhià
since 1856
181 m
5.128
Carisio
† 2003
178 m
Milan-Turin Autostrada
13.854
Buronzo
179 m
from Biella
22.121
Rovasenda since 1939 / Rovasenda Alta
225 m
31.230
Gattinara
263 m
34.393
Romagnano Sesia
since 1883
266 m
44.897
Cureggio
296 m
48.395
Borgomanero
since 1864
311 m
51+279
start Gattico tunnel (3308 m)
Genoa-Gravellona Toce Autostrada
54+587
end Gattico tunnel
57.588
Comignago
261 m
Dormelletto Paese
since 1935
26.724
Arona
since 1905
393 m
km
Source: Italian railway atlas[1]

Suspension and reopening edit

The service on the railway was suspended from 17 June 2012, by decision of the Piedmont Region.[3] At the time of its closure, the line was served by sixteen trains per day on weekdays and six on weekends, with an average use of fifty passengers per train.[4]

At a meeting in September 2019, a representative of the regional council declared that reopening the line was not financially viable, costing 3.4 million euros more than a bus replacement service.[4] In response, an association for the Turin-Switzerland line stated that the council's decisions, while correct from an accounting perspective, threatened the socioeconomic development of the region.[5]

In January 2022, it was reported that the regional government was prioritising the reopening of the line in talks with FS.[6] In November 2022, it was announced that the line would be reopened by 2024-25, following a campaign by Alberto Gusmeroli, a deputy for the Piedmont 2 constituency.[7][8]

Stations edit

Santhià edit

Opened in 1856, Santhià railway station sits at the junction of the Turin–Milan, Santhià–Biella and Santhià–Arona railway lines.

Carisio edit

Buronzo edit

Rovasenda Alta edit

Rovasenda Alta railway station interchanges with the Biella–Novara railway through the nearby Rovasenda railway station.

Gattinara edit

Romagnano Sesia edit

Romagnano Sesia railway station interchanges with the Novara–Varallo railway.

Cureggio edit

Borgomanero edit

Comignago edit

Arona edit

Arona railway station sits at the junction of the Domodossola–Milan, Arona–Novara and Santhià–Arona railway lines.

See also edit

References edit

Footnotes edit

  1. ^ Railway Atlas 2017, pp. 19, 20, 126.
  2. ^ Prospetto cronologico dei tratti di ferrovia aperti all'esercizio dal 1839 al 31 dicembre 1926
  3. ^ Silvia Adorno, Chiusure in Piemonte, in "I Treni" n. 351 (settembre 2012), pp. 14-19
  4. ^ a b Pria, Matteo (2019-09-03). "Arona-Santhià, la Regione ora apre uno spiraglio". Notizia Oggi Borgosesia (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  5. ^ Tonco, Carlotta (2019-09-16). "Ferrovia Arona-Santhià su un binario morto: non riaprirà". Notizia Oggi Borgosesia (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  6. ^ Giordani, Marcello (2022-01-17). "Riapertura della ferrovia Santhià-Arona: l'ipotesi torna sul tavolo della Regione". La Stampa (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  7. ^ Pallotta, Veronica (2 December 2022). "Ferrovie: Riapre dopo dieci anni la Santhià - Arona". Ferrovie.Info (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  8. ^ "Via libera per la riapertura della linea Santhià-Arona". Stampa Diocesana Novarese (in Italian). 2022-12-03. Retrieved 2023-01-12.

Sources edit

  • RFI, ed. (December 2003). Fascicolo Linea 14 (Santhià–Arona) (in Italian). Rete Ferroviaria Italiana.
  • Atlante ferroviario d'Italia e Slovenia [Railway atlas of Italy and Slovenia]. Schweers + Wall. 2010. ISBN 978-3-89494-129-1.