Palermo metropolitan railway service | |||
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Overview | |||
Locale | Palermo | ||
Transit type | commuter rail | ||
Number of lines | 2 | ||
Number of stations | 16 | ||
Operation | |||
Began operation | 1990 | ||
Operator(s) | Trenitalia | ||
Technical | |||
System length | 39.1 km (24.3 mi) | ||
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||
Electrification | 3 kV DC, overhead line | ||
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The Palermo metropolitan railway service is a commuter rail system operated by Trenitalia. It serves the city of Palermo in Sicily, Italy.
There are two lines:
Both lines are served by a train every 30 minutes, although on the Palermo Centrale – Punta Raisi line some stops are served by half of the trains.[1]
The first section of the Palermo "metropolitana" was opened in 1990, a month before the beginning of Italia 90, the football World Cup. The line had only six stations: Palermo Centrale, Vespri, Palermo Notarbartolo, Federico, Fiera and Giachery. The line used the tracks of the old Palermo – Trapani railway, running across the city until Notarbartolo station, and from there it followed the branch to the port, along which new stops were built.[2]
This line was also used to reach the Stadio Renzo Barbera (Stadio della Favorita) football stadium.
In November 1993 a new branch was opened, on the tracks of the railway to Trapani, running diesel railcars type ALn 668. The first two stops were San Lorenzo-Colli and Tommaso Natale.[3] In 1994 stops at Francia and Cardillo-Zen were opened.[4]
In 2001 a new tunnel station (Palazzo Reale-Orleans) was opened, serving the city centre.[5] The metropolitan service was extended to Punta Raisi railway station, serving the Falcone Borsellino Airport.[6]
Improvements on this line began 22 February 2008.
This route was repaired in 1993.