Asciano–Monte Antico railway

The Ferrovia Asciano–Monte Antico (Asciano–Monte Antico railway) is a railway line linking the town of Asciano to Monte Antico in the municipality of Civitella Paganico in Southern Tuscany.

Asciano–Monte Antico railway
Historic railcar departing Monte Amiata station
Overview
Statusin use for heritage trains only
OwnerRete Ferroviaria Italiana
LocaleTuscany, Italy
Termini
Service
TypeHeavy rail
History
Opened1872, 1996 (for tourist trains)[1]
Closed1994
Technical
Line length51 km (32 mi)
Number of tracks1
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrificationno
Operating speed50 km/h (31 mph)
Route map

283.648
Asciano
276.219
Trequanda
270.968
San Giovanni d'Asso
262.601
Torrenieri-Montalcino
249.684
Monte Amiata
238.805
Sant'Angelo-Cinigiano
232.437
Monte Antico

History

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The line was planned in 1859 and constructed by the Società per le Strade Ferrate Romane as the first line to connect the cities of Siena and Grosseto. The section between Asciano and Torrenieri was the first to open, which it did in 1865. The next section, between Torrenieri and Monte Amiata, opened in 1871, and the rest was completed for 1872,[2] when the line connecting Monte Antico to Grosseto opened.

In 1906 a plan was submitted to construct a faster line between Monte Antico and Siena and this new line was completed in 1927. The services between Asciano and Monte Antico continued to operate as well as this line.

In 1955, both lines came under the operation of the FS. During the Second World War, the line was extensively damaged. The first section to be restored was from Asciano to San Giovanni d'Asso, the rest reopening only in 1952.

In 1966, a flood washed away part of the line between Monte Amiata and Torrenieri stations, and the line remained closed until 1980 during which period various modernisation work took place. The line via Buonconvento was also damaged and also remained closed until 1980.

In 1994 the passenger uptake of the line had dwindled to a point that the government found unsustainable, and the line closed to regular passenger services. In 1996 the Treno Natura tourist heritage services began to operate on select days of the year, using historic steam and diesel locomotives and railcars. This continues nowadays.[3][4]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Ferrovie.it - Viaggio sul".
  2. ^ "Chronological index of railway lines opened between 1839 and 31 December 1926" (in Italian). 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Ferrovie Turistiche Italiane".
  4. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Binari senza tempo: la linea Asciano - Monte Antico. YouTube.