Milan–Bologna high-speed railway
Milan–Bologna high-speed railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Electrification | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operating speed | 300 km/h (190 mph) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Milan–Bologna high-speed railway is a railway line that links the cities of
The line is part of
The first section of the line on the outskirts of Milan was opened in 1997. A 15 km (9.3 mi) section between Bologna and
History
The proposal to build a high speed line from Milan to Bologna was announced by the Italian rail operator
The first section of the new Milan-Bologna was opened in 1997 between
Construction of the rest of the new line started in 2002 under the direction of TAV. On 29 May 2005 the new line was extended south to Melegnano-Tavazzano and the temporary junction at Sordio was closed.[7] On 11 September 2006 the trunkline between Castelfranco Emilia and Lavino was brought into operation,[8][9] while the section between Lavino and Santa Viola was opened on 10 October 2007.
In November 2007 the laying of tracks and the provision of technological systems and electrical equipment was completed for the rest of the new line. Testing of systems in preparation for its opening started on 16 December 2007. During these tests, at 17:23 on 1 March 2008, a new Italian railway speed record of 355 km/h (221 mph) was set by an
The railway line between Melegnano and Castelfranco east junctions was opened for training on 2 October 2008. Consequently, the tracks between the Melegnano and Tavazzano junctions and between Castelfranco station and Emilia Castefranco east junction became interconnection lines between the traditional and the AV-AC lines.[10] The opening of the line took place on 13 December 2008 with an inaugural trip made by an ETR 500 Frecciarossa, classified as ES* 29405, with a load of journalists and politicians.[11] The line was opened to commercial traffic the next day, with the introduction of the new Trenitalia timetable.[12][13]
Features of the line
The line follows closely the Autostrada A1 for 182 kilometers (113 mi) of its total 214-kilometer (133 mi) length. The line runs for 32 kilometers (20 mi) on viaducts and for 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) in tunnel, the rest being at-grade. The design-speed of the line is 300 kilometers per hour (190 mph), leading to the adoption of a minimum radius of curvature of 5,450 meters (17,880 ft); however, in Modena restrictions on the route led to a minimum radius of 3,450 meters (11,320 ft), limiting the maximum speed there to 240 km/h (150 mph).
The railway line is a double-track
Route
Milan railway junction
Starting from
At Milan Lambrate the belt railway connects with the lines from
Milano Rogoredo to Piacenza east
At Milano Rogoredo station the high-speed line separates from the traditional line near San Giuliano Milanese so that it can bypass the centre of Melegnano. After Melegnano the high-speed line passes the location of the former Sordo junction, which was closed after the extension of the high-speed line to Melegnano junction at Tavazzano. After the old Sordio junction, the line separated from the traditional line and joins the Autostrada del Sole (A1 motorway). Trains to and from Lodi that do not need to stop between Rogoredo and Lodi can join the new line at Melegnano junction. At the junction the electrification of the high-speed line changes 3,000 V DC to 25,000 V AC 50 Hz, which is to be used on almost all high-speed lines in Italy. The signalling system also changes to the modern European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) near the junction, at the 190.229 km (118.203 mi) mark (measured from Bologna).
At Somaglia the railway enters a 1,019-meter-long (3,343 ft)
After Piacenza west junction, the railway runs on a viaduct across the traditional line and the
From Piacenza east to Reggio Emilia AV station
Shortly after Piacenza east junction, the railway rejoins the A1 and runs next to it until P.M.
Just north of the cut-and-cover tunnel where the line passes
After passing the East Parma east junction, the line continues beside the A1. Near the village of La Razza in Campegine is P.M. Campegine, which has two crossovers that allow trains to transfer between tracks at up to 160 km/h (99 mph). Reggio Emilia AV Mediopadana railway station, which was designed by Santiago Calatrava, is located nine km further south, just to the north of the Reggio Emilia viaduct that overpasses the Reggio Emilia–Guastalla line near the fairground. It provides an interchange with a regional railway line and buses and was completed on 8 June 2013. The site was previously only equipped with two temporary crossovers with a speed limit of 60 km/h (37 mph) on transferring trains.
From Reggio Emilia AV station to Bologna
After P.M. Reggio Emilia AV, the line continues to follow the A1 until P.C. Rubiera. This location service is located between the villages of Fontana and Osteria and has two 160 km/h (99 mph) crossovers. Further south the line moves away from A1 to the east in order to bypass the town of Modena to its north on a curve with a radius requires AV trains to observe lower than normal speed limits.
To the north of the village of Villanova is Modena west junction that allows the routing of trains on to the line to Mantua and Verona towards Modena station. After Modena west junction, the railway cuts through the countryside north of Modena and then bend towards the south-east in the direction of Castelfranco Emilia and Manzolini. Near the town of Castelfranco Cavazzona is the Castelfranco east junction, where the line rejoins the traditional line. At this junction trains between Modena and Bologna change between the high speed and traditional lines. The voltage change between 25,000 V AC 3000 V DC occurs at this point.
At
Shortly after the entrance to the tunnel of the Bologna Passante, which allows the line to pass under the city of Bologna, is Venezia (Venice) junction, a double-track grade-separated interconnection that opened for operation in December 2017, allowing trains coming from the Padua line to enter the underground station.
The trains finally arrive at the underground level of Bologna Centrale, making a stop and then continue towards Florence along the high-speed line.
Services
Trenitalia commenced services on the line on 14 December 2008, with 24 Eurostar AV services operating between Milan and Rome in each direction each day. Most of these stop at Bologna and Florence and since the acceleration of services with the opening of the Bologna–Florence high-speed line on 13 December 2009 take 3 hours 30 minutes. Ten services southbound and nine services northbound operate non-stop, taking 2 hours 59 minutes—these are branded as Eurostar AV Fast. An additional Eurostar also operates each day each way, stopping at Piacenza, Fidenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia and Modena and taking 4 hours and 58 minutes. The fastest AV Fast services take 2 hours 45 minutes between Milano Rogoredo station and Roma Tiburtina station.[13][15]
References and Notes
- ^ a b "Posto di movimento", that is a passing loop, allowing slower trains to be overtaken.
- ^ a b "Posti di comunicazione", that is a crossover.
- ISBN 978-3-89494-129-1.
- Ferrovie dello Stato, Corporate relations office. 1988.
- ^ Le linee in costruzione AV-TuttoTreno Tema, no. 22 (in Italian). 2007.
- ^ "Milano–Bologna HSL opens". Today's Railways Europe. March 2009: 22–28.
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(help) - ^ "Circolari compartimentali (Departmental circular) Milan 17/2005" (in Italian). RFI. 2005: 1–7.
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(help) - ^ "Circolari compartimentali (Departmental circular) Bologna 17/2007" (in Italian). RFI. 2007: 3.
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(help) - ^ "HSL opens to passenger services". Today's Railways Europe. January 2008: 61.
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(help) - ^ "Circolari compartimentali (Departmental circular) Bologna 22/2008 and Milan 56/2008" (in Italian). RFI. 2008: 1–5.
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(help) - Ferrovie dello Stato. 13 December 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2009.
- ^ a b "Circolari compartimentali (Departmental circular) Bologna 31/2008 and Milano 71/2008" (in Italian). RFI. 2008: 1–3.
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(help) - ^ a b "Trenitalia reshapes AV services". Railway Gazette International. 165 (1): 8. January 2009.
- ^ Fascicolo Linea 82 bis. RFI. pp. 92 ff.
- ^ "Timetable" (in Italian). Trenitalia. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
References
- Fascicolo Linea 82 bis - AV/AC Torino – Milano – Napoli Tratto di linea Milano Rogoredo – Firenze Castello e relative interconnessioni con linea Milano – Bologna – Firenze (Tradizionale) (in Italian). Rete Ferroviaria Italiana. pp. 90–119 and 150–179.
External links
- Milano-Bologna: the route, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (in Italian)