Rome–Cassino–Naples railway


The Rome–Cassino–Naples railway is a railway in Italy, the first of the three existing railway lines between the capitals of Latium and Campania to be opened when it was completed by the Società per le strade ferrate romane in 1863. The line is now fully electrified at 3 kV DC. It is now mainly used by regional trains, some trains to and from the Adriatic coast and a few night trains. The Rome–Naples high-speed railway line generally follows the same route.

History

The first part of the line to be opened was at the southern end, built by the Royal Neapolitan Railway Company and was opened between Naples, Cancello and Caserta on 20 December 1843 and was the second line opened in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies after the Naples–Portici line opened in 1839. It operated from a terminal at Napoli Porta Nolana, now used by the Circumvesuviana Railway. This line was extended to Capua on 26 May 1844. A branch line was opened from Cancello to Nola in 1846 and extended to Sarno in 1856.
The northern part of the line was opened between a station at Porta Maggiore and Ciampino on 14 July 1856 as part of the Rome–Frascati line by the Società Pio Latina, a French company named in honour of Pope Pius IX, who had overturned the Vatican's previous opposition to innovations such as railways in the Papal States. This line was extended to the new Roma Termini station on 22 October 1863.
In 1860 the Società Pio Latina and the Società Pio Centrale—the builder of the Rome–Civitavecchia railway, opened in 1859—combined to form the Società per le strade ferrate romane, which then absorbed the Royal Neapolitan Railway Company. It opened an section from Roma Termini to Ceprano–Falvaterra on 1 December 1862. The Capua–Tora–Presenzano section had been opened on 14 October 1861 and the final section between Ceprano–Falvaterra and Tora–Presenzano was opened on 25 February 1863.

Branches and connections