The first three articles in this series covered the network as it was established by the beginning of the First World War. These articles can be found here, [1] here [2] and here. [3]
We have already noted that there were changes to the network above which occurred before WW1, particularly the second line to Piazza Sturla in the East, the additional line to Sampierdarena in the West and the Municipal line to Quezzi in the Northeast.
In this article we look at the network from World War 1 to the beginning of World War 2.
After WW1 and into early WW2
In 1923, driving on the right was imposed on roads throughout the country (until then, individual cities had discretion over the matter). Genoa complied on 31st August 1924. The change did not cause major upheavals in the tram service as it had always been undertaken by bidirectional carriages with doors on both sides. [19][21: p56]
In the mid 20s the autonomous municipalities between Nervi and Voltri along the coast, up to Pontedecimo in Val Polcevera and up to Prato in Val Bisagno, were annexed to the capital and a ‘Greater Genoa’ was formed. The entire tram network fell within the new municipal area. [19]
During this time UITE remained as a private company but the City acquired a majority of shares. [19][20: p223] and began to direct the development of the company and the network. [19][21: p62]
In 1934, major reform of the network took place. Trams ceased to use Via Roma, Via XX Settembre, and Piazza de Ferrari. The piazza saw major change – the lifting of the ‘tramway ring’ allowed, first, the planting of a large flower bed, and later (in 1936) the construction of a large fountain designed by Giuseppe Crosa di Vergagni. The trams were diverted through Piazza Dante and Galleria Colombo which was newly opened. [20: p224] At the same time new lines crossing the city were activated, with the aim of better distributing passengers in the central areas. [19][21: p62] The following year the trams also abandoned Corso Italia, in favour of a new route further inland which also included the new Galleria Mameli. [19][21: p125]
The modernization of the network included renewal of the fleet of trams. That renewal commenced in 1927 with the introduction of ‘Casteggini’ (trolley/bogie trams – named after the UITE engineer who designed them). These were followed in 1939 by modern ‘Genoa type’ trams, [20: p657] built first as single units and then, from 1942, in an articulated version. [19][20: p660]
In 1935, the large Littorio depot near Ponte Carrega (Val Bisagno) came into operation. In 1940, workshop facilities were opened at the depot. [20: p237-238]
Italian Wikipedia tells us that after the changes made in 1934, the following list covers the tram routes on the network: [19][21: p125]
1 Banco San Giorgio – Voltri 2 Banco San Giorgio – Pegli 3 Banco San Giorgio – Sestri 4 Banco San Giorgio – Sampierdarena 5 Banco San Giorgio – Sampierdarena – Rivarolo 6 Banco San Giorgio – Sampierdarena – Bolzaneto 7 Banco San Giorgio – Sampierdarena – Pontedecimo 8 Banco San Giorgio – Sampierdarena – Campasso 9 Banco San Giorgio – Galleria Certosa – Rivarolo 10 Banco San Giorgio – Galleria Certosa – Bolzaneto 11 Banco San Giorgio – Galleria Certosa – Pontedecimo 12 Banco San Giorgio – Galleria Certosa – Certosa – Sampierdarena – Banco San Giorgio 13 The reverse of Line 12 14 Banco San Giorgio – Cornigliano 15 Banco San Giorgio – Pra 16 Brignole – Corvetto – Pegli 18 Marassi – Bolzaneto 21 Dinegro – Manin – Staglieno 22 Manin – Corvetto – Piazza Santa Sabina 23 De Ferrari – Marassi – Quezzi 24 Corso Dogali – Manin – Corvetto – Principe – Corso Dogali (circulating clockwise through the hills) 25 The reverse of Line 24 (circulating anti-clockwise through the hills) 26 Dinegro – Principe – via Napoli 27 Corso Dogali – Manin – Corvetto – Tommaseo 28 Principe – Corvetto – Via Atto Vannucci – Banco San Giorgio 30 De Ferrari – Foce 31 Banco San Giorgio – Staglieno – Prato 32 Banco San Giorgio – Molassana – Giro del Fullo
33 De Ferrari – Piazza Verdi – Staglieno 34 Piazza della Vittoria – Staglieno – San Gottardo – Doria 35 Piazza della Vittoria – Staglieno 36 Piazza della Vittoria – Ponte Carrega 37 De Ferrari – Piazza Verdi – San Fruttuoso 38 De Ferrari – Via Barabino – Boccadasse 39 De Ferrari – Sturla – Nervi 40 Banco San Giorgio – De Ferrari – Albaro – Quinto 41 Piazza Cavour – Via Barabino – Corso Italia – Priaruggia 42 De Ferrari – San Francesco d’Albaro – Sturla 43 De Ferrari – San Francesco d’Albaro – Lido 44 Banco San Giorgio – De Ferrari – Borgoratti 45 De Ferrari – San Martino – Sturla 46 De Ferrari – Tommaseo – San Martino 47 De Ferrari – San Francesco d’Albaro – Villa Raggio 48 Piazza Cavour – Piazza della Vittoria – San Fruttuoso 49 De Ferrari – Tommaseo – ‘Ospedale San Martino 50 San Martino – Brignole – Corvetto – Sampierdarena – Campasso 51 Quezzi – Brignole – Principe – Galleria Certosa – Rivarolo 52 San Giuliano – Brignole – Principe – Dinegro 53 Tommaseo – Brignole – Principe – Sampierdarena – Campasso 54 Sturla – Albaro – De Ferrari – Banco San Giorgio – Dinegro 55 Foce – Brignole – Principe – Dinegro 56 Marassi – Brignole – Principe – Dinegro
The lines marked with a red ‘X’ are those which closed in the city centre with the reorganisation of 1934, (c) Paolo Gassani. [8]
After 1934, Piazza Banco di San Georgio became the centre of the altered network (it was referred to originally as Piazza Caricamento). This was facilitated by earlier alterations to the network which included:
Piazza Railbetta, Piazza di San Georgio, Via San Lorenzo and Piazza Umberto 1
These earlier alterations included a very short line, shown on the Baedecker 1916 map of Genova, connecting Piazza Banco di San Georgio and Piazza Raibetta. In addition, a line along Via San Lorenzo and Piazza Umberto 1 made a connection from that short line to Piazza Raffaele de Ferrari which at the time was at the heart of Genova’s tram network. This three-way length of connecting tramways opened up the possibility of the significant revisions to the network which occurred in 1934. The 1916 Baedeker map is the first I have found which shows these links, early Baedeker maps available online do not show these lines. There is photographic evidence of these lines being in use by 1906.
An additional short line was provided from Piazza Galeazzo Alessi at the top of Via Corsica along Mura Sant Chiara, Mura del Prato, Viale Milazzzo and Via Alessandra Volta, as shown below.
Corso Italia was built between 1909 and 1915 [6] and the tram line to Foce was extended along Corso Italia sometime in the early 1920s. The tram line can be seen (dotted) on the map extract below.
Other links were added such as a line between Piazza Brignole and Piazza Giuseppi Verdi (outside Brignole Station). With the culverting of the Bisagno River in 1930/31, a link along Via Tolemaide from Piazza Verdi to meet the existing tramway which ran Northeast/Southwest on Via Montevideo and continued East towards San Martino, became possible.
Piazza Raffeale de Ferrari, Piazza Dante and routes East
We have already noted that Piazza Raffaele de Ferrari ceased to be the main focus of the network in 1934 and that trams were removed from Via XX Settembre and Via Roma at the time. What remained in the vicinity of Piazza de Ferrari was a single loop line were 11 lines from the East and Valbisagno terminated. The terminus was on Via Petrarca with a return loop through Via Porta Soprana and Via Antonio Meucci to Piazza Dante and then on to their destinations. The first image below shows the revised arrangements on the South corner of Piazza Raffaele de Ferrari.
Trams which originally entered Piazza Raffaele de Ferrari from the north along Via Roma were diverted from Piazza Corvetto along Via Serra toward Piazza Brignole. More about this further down this article.
A 600 series tram in Via Meucci on the return loop. The tram is approaching Via Dante where it will turn right to head East out of the centre of Genova, (c) Public Domain. [13]
Trams travelled up and down Via Dante and through Galleria Cristoforo Colombo to serve the East of the city and the coast.
When trams were diverted away from Piazza De Ferrari, those which used to travel down Via Roma were diverted along Via Serra and Piazza Brignole. A new length of tramway was built along Via Edmondo de Amicis to link Piazza Brignole with Piazza Verdi and Brignole Railway Station.
The station forecourt of Brignole Railway Station and the North side of Piazza Giuseppe Verdi became a significant hub within the new network inaugurated in 1934.
Looking East across the face of Brignole Railway Station in the 1960s with the tram station in the centre of the view. This image was shared by Gianfranco Curatolo on the C’era Una Volta Genova Facebook group on 20th August 2016. [29]Piazza Giuseppe Verdi and Brignole Railway Station in the 21st century. [Google Maps, December 2024]
East from Piazza Verdi (Via Tolemaide)
Major work was undertaken in the 1930s along the length of the River Bisagno from the railway to the sea shore. That full length of the river was converted and a broad boulevard was created.
Piazza Verdi (Brignole Railway Station), Viale Brigata Partigiane/Viale Brigata Bisagno, Via Barabino, Galleria Mameli, Via Carlo e Nello Rosselli and further East
The construction of Galleria Principe di Piemonte (later Galleria Mameli) allowed a further route East from the city centre to be exploited.
A summary of what was covered in the first two articles
In the previous articles in this short series we looked at the history of trams in Genoa (Genova) – both horse trams and electric trams. In the first article, we covered the story as far as the beginning of the First World War. That article can be found here. [1]
In that article we looked at the tunnels which the city created in order to facilitate access to different parts of the tram network.
That article also covered the Western Network (which is marked in green on the map below).
In the second article we looked at a large part of the Eastern Tram Network. That article can be found here. [2]
We still have to look at the remainder of the network and the history of the network through to its final closure in the mid-1960s.
In this article we look at the services provided on the route from Piazza Corvetto to Prato (via Piazza Manin and Staglieno) which appears in red on the map above and the blue lines which ran out of Piazza Raffeale di Ferrari along Via XX Settembre to Staglieno, Foce, Thommaseo and Nervi. Firstly, looking as those provided before the First World War.
The Years Before World War One – The Eastern Network
Before the start of World War 1, the Eastern network provided these services: [19]
I. Eastern Network:
21 De Ferrari – Manin – Staglieno 22 De Ferrari – Manin 23 De Ferrari – Manin – Castelletto 24 De Ferrari – Manin – Castelletto – San Nicholo 25 Circuit in the hilly suburbs 26 Piazza Principe – Corso Ugo Bassi 27 De Ferrari – Zecca – Principe 28 Caricamento – De Ferrari – Galliera ‘Ospital 29 De Ferrari – Carignano 30 Circular Raibetta – Brignole – Corvetto – Raibetta 31 De Ferrari – Staglieno – Molassana – Prato 32 De Ferrari – Staglieno – Molassana 33 De Ferrari – Pila – Staglieno 34 Staglieno – Iassa 35 Pila – Staglieno 36 Pila – Staglieno – Molassana 37 De Ferrari – San Fruttuoso 38 De Ferrari – Foce 39 De Ferrari – San Francesco – Sturla – Priaruggia – Quinto – Nervi 40 De Ferrari – San Francesco – Sturla – Priaruggia – Quinto 41 De Ferrari – San Francesco – Sturla – Priaruggia 42 De Ferrari – San Francesco – Sturla 43 De Ferrari – Villa Raggio – Lido 44 De Ferrari – Tommaseo – San Martino – Borgoratti 45 De Ferrari – Tommaseo – San Martino – Sturla 46 De Ferrari – Tommaseo – San Martino 47 De Ferrari – Tommaseo 48 Raibetta – Pila
II. Municipal line: De Ferrari – Quezzi
The Eastern network focussed on Piazza Raffeale de Ferrari. We looked at images from that piazza in the first article [1] about the trams of Genoa (Genova). At one time, Piazza de Ferrari was full of ‘circular tramlines’ and it was congested through much of the day.
Tram lines left Piazza Raffeale de Ferrari along Via Roma, to the Northeast and along Via XX Settembre. We covered most of those which radiated from the Northeast end of Via Roma (Piazza Corvetto) in the second article. [2]
This Article: The Rest of the Eastern Network
The line running from Piazza Corvetto to Prato will be covered in this article, along with those which ran out of Piazza Raffeale de Ferrari along Via XX Settembre.
As we have already noted in the second article in this short series, at Piazza Corvetto lines diverged to Piazza Carignano, Brignole, Manin and Acquaverde and Principe. The line to Prato ran Northeast from Piazza Corvetto through Piazza Manin.
Trams ran between Piazza Corvetto and Piazza Manin along Via Assarotti. [Google Maps, December 2024]Looking Northeast along Via Asserotti in the 1940s. Traffic is now driving on the right. Genova had vehicles driving on the left until 1923 when the national government imposed a common practice across the country, (c) Public Domain. [5]Later roadworks at the mouth of Via Asserotti on Piazza Corvetto. Behind the tram is Via Asserotti and to the right, Via S.S Giacomo e Filippo, (c) Public Domain. [3]A postcard view from the 1970s along Via Asserotti from Piazza Corvetto. This is an extract from an image shared on the C’era una volta Genova Facebook Group by Paolo Nuzzo on 12th July 2019. [4]Looking Southwest along Via Asserotti towards Piazza Corvetto, (c) Public Domain. [6]A similar view Southwest along Via Asserotti in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Piazza Manin, looking East towards the city walls. Via Asserotti is behind the camera to the right, (c) J. Neer, Public Domain. [8]A similar view in the 2st century. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Trams ran through the city walls under Ponte di Via alla Stazione per Casella. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Looking West toward Piazza Manin from outside the city walls. (c) Public Domain. [10]An earlier view looking West with a tram heading towards the camera, (c) Public Domain. [11]
Just East of Piazza Manin, trams passed through the old city walls & turned North following the contours of the side of the Bisagno Valley. This extract from the Baedeker 1906 map of Genova shows the route of the tramway as it heads North. The openstreetmap.org extract shows that the route is along Via Leonardo Montaldo. [13][14]
Trams ran North along Via Leonardo Montaldo. The road was built, initially through undeveloped land, to accommodate the tram service.
Trams from the centre of Genoa arrived at the junction shown above, both along Via Bobbio and Via Montaldo and then continued North and East up the valley of the Bisagno River, passing the Cemetery on the way.
The line which served the Gavette works ran up the East side of the River Bisagno, crossing the river on its approach to the works. It was primarily used for bringing coal to the works in the days when it produced town gas. The article about that railway can be found here. [44]
The terminus of the tramway is a little further East from the hospital/health buildings. These next few images take us to the end of the line in Prato.
Having arrived in Prato we have now covered all the ‘green lines’ and the ‘red lines’ on the network plan provided close to the start of this article. We still have to look at most of the ‘blue lines’. …..
Trams following the route North alongside the River Bisagno started and ended their journeys at Piazza Raffeale de Ferrari and travelled along Via XX Settembre and Via Luigi Cadorna to the location of Ponte Pila. What was once a bridge over the Bisagno River is now part of the culverted length of the river.
In the 21st century, the road North from this location is Viale Emanuele Filiberto Duca d’ Aosta (SS1). Facing North from Ponte Pila the large Piazza Giuseppe Verdi was to the left of the road. This remains as a large garden area. Further ahead on the left is Brignole Railway Station.
The next two images are difficult to location on the modern landscape as so much has change in the are around the River Bisagno. Most probably the building shown are on the line of the dual carriageway which sits over the culverted river.
The junction shown in the image above appears left as a satellite image [Google Maps, December 2024] and below as a Streetview image [Google Streetview, April 2023]
The satellite image shows the remaining length of the route (in blue) as far as Staglieno where it joins the route from Via Lombardo Montaldo (in red). Two views typical of this length in the 21st century are shown below.
Ponte Castelfidardo to Piazza Terralba
We saw a picture of a tram on Ponte Castelfidardo above, on a section of tramway not recorded on the map of pre-1902 tramways of Genova, but Line No. 37 is recorded as running to the area of San Fruttuosa which is the area to the East of the River Bisagno through which this tram ran so was inaugurated between the turn of the century and the start of WW1. We will also see further below that a municipally owned line crossed the bridge and ran out to Quezzi. This line was also put in service before WW1.
To the East of Ponte Castelfidardo trams entered Piazza Manzoni.. Piazza Manzoni led East into Piazza Giusti. The industrial railway from Terralba to Gavette crossed Piazza Giusti. Information about that line can be found here. [64] The photograph below shows a train of covered wagons, probably from the fruit and vegetable market on Corso Sardegna, heading into the goods yard at Terralba. In the picture is the tramway crossing the line of the railway.
A train of covered wagons, probably from the fruit and vegetable market on Corso Sardegna, heads into the goods yard at Terralba. In the picture is a tramway crossing the line of the railway. By the time of this photo, the tramway appears disused as cars are parked across it. [65]
After 1901 and before WW1 a significant extension was made to the route to Foce which took trams South of Piazza del Popolo to the coast and along Corso Italia. That line is illustrated (dotted) on the map extract from the Markilnfan.com Forum below.
This map extract comes form a slightly larger one on the Marklin.com Forum. That new line connected in the East with a later line which ran along Via Barabino and through Galleria Marneli. Phots of the construction work on Corso Italia show it being built immediately after WW1, so it is not strictly relevant to the period we are looking at. [111]
Piazza Thommaseo to Nervi
There were two possible routes to Nervi. That shown blue on the image below was one of these.
A second route can be seen on the map of tramlines in 1956 below. It is not clear when the alternative route began offering a service. We will look at this route later when we have followed the more northerly route as far as Piazza Sturla.
Before heading on towards Nervi along Via dei Mille we need to look back at the alternative route to Piazza Sturla. Trams using this route left Piazza Thommaseo. It is not entirely clear when trams began serving this route. An early, probably pre-WW1 image, shows a tram on Via Albaro near the church of San Francesco.
This satellite image shows Piazza Thommaseo on the left. The blue line shows the tram route as far as the Church of San Francesco. The image below shows a tram using the route between Genova (Genoa) and Nervi. [Google Maps, December 2024]A tram heading for Nervi is travelling along Via Albaro close to the church of San Francesco, (c) Public Domain. [85]The same location in the 21st century, also looking East. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Trams continued Southeast along Via Frederico Ricci and Via Paolo Boselli. [Google Maps, December 2024]Continuing, East-southeast trams ran along Via Pisa and Via Caprera to Piazza Sturla. [Google Maps, December 2024]Before the first world war, a tram heads for the city centre along Via Caprera over the old viaduct, (c) Public Domain. [84]The same view towards the city centre in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, August 2024]
Two different routes to the West of Piazza Sturla have been covered. We now go on from Piazza Sturla to Nervi, setting off along Via dei Mille.
The tram terminus in Nervi was in Piazza Antonio Pittaluga (once Piazza Vittorio Emanuele) Early in the life of the network the terminus was in the piazza, later it was in Viale Goffredo Franchini on the North side of the piazza.
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele (later Piazza Antonio Pitta luga), Nervi, (c) Public Domain. [104]The tram terminus in what is now Piazza Antonio Pittaluga, Nervi, (c) Public Domain. [106]Piazza Antonio Pittaluga, Nervi, The terminus has, by the time of this photograph, been moved into Viale Goffredo Franchini on the North side of the piazza. (c) Public Domain. [88]Piazza Antonio Pittaluga, Nerve. Although busses have replaced trams by the time of this 1960s photograph, the tram tracks remain in place. This image was shared on the Foto Genova Antica Facebook Group by Gianfranco Dell’Oro Bussetti on 14th November 2019, (c) Unknown Photographer. [103]The tram terminus at Nervi in the mid-20th century. This image was shared on the Foto Genova Antica Facebook Group by Giovanna Levaggi on 13th May 2022, (c) Unknown Photographer. [87]The same location in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, May 2022]
The Line to Quezzi
Partially in anticipation of taking control of the whole tram network before WW1, the municipality constructed its own line to Quezzi which used existing tram tracks as far as Ponte Castelfidardo. The transfer of the network to the municipality did not happen and this line, while remaining in the ownership of the city authorities was operated on their behalf by the tram company.
The first three articles about the trams of Genoa cover the network up until the First World War. Future articles will go on to look at the later history of the network and the rolling stock used.
I have not been able to identify the source of this image. It was sourced on line and is likely to no longer be within copyright. Please let me know if this is not the case.
A Summary of what was covered in the First Article
In the previous article in this short series we looked at the history of trams in Genoa (Genova) – both horse trams and electric trams. We covered the story as far as the beginning of the First World War. That article can be found here. [1]
In that article we looked at the tunnels which the city created in order to facilitate access to different parts of the tram network.
That article also covered the Western Network (which is marked in green on the map below). We still have to look at the remainder of the network and the history of the network through to its final closure in the mid-1960s.
As well as looking in detail at the Western network, we noted the services provided on the whole network before the First World War. Details of the lines which formed the Western network can be found in the earlier article – here. [1]
In this article we look at the service provided on another large portion of the remainder of the network in the period up to the First World War.
The Years Before World War One – The Eastern Network
Before the start of World War 1, the Eastern network provided these services: [19]
I. Eastern Network:
21 De Ferrari – Manin – Staglieno 22 De Ferrari – Manin 23 De Ferrari – Manin – Castelletto 24 De Ferrari – Manin – Castelletto – San Nicholo 25 Circuit in the hilly suburbs 26 Piazza Principe – Corso Ugo Bassi 27 De Ferrari – Zecca – Principe 28 Caricamento – De Ferrari – Galliera ‘Ospital 29 De Ferrari – Carignano 30 Circular Raibetta – Brignole – Corvetto – Raibetta 31 De Ferrari – Staglieno – Molassana – Prato 32 De Ferrari – Staglieno – Molassana 33 De Ferrari – Pila – Staglieno 34 Staglieno – Iassa 35 Pila – Staglieno 36 Pila – Staglieno – Molassana 37 De Ferrari – San Fruttuoso 38 De Ferrari – Foce 39 De Ferrari – San Francesco – Sturla – Priaruggia – Quinto – Nervi 40 De Ferrari – San Francesco – Sturla – Priaruggia – Quinto 41 De Ferrari – San Francesco – Sturla – Priaruggia 42 De Ferrari – San Francesco – Sturla 43 De Ferrari – Villa Raggio – Lido 44 De Ferrari – Tommaseo – San Martino – Borgoratti 45 De Ferrari – Tommaseo – San Martino – Sturla 46 De Ferrari – Tommaseo – San Martino 47 De Ferrari – Tommaseo 48 Raibetta – Pila
III. Municipal line: A. De Ferrari – Quezzi
Initially the East and West networks touched only at a location close to Principe Railway Station. Later, after a link was made between Piazza Caricamento and Piazza Raibetta (only a short length of rails) there was a coastal line which linked Piazza Caricamento to the Eastern lines through Raibetta.
The Eastern network focussed on Piazza Raffeale de Ferrari. We looked at images from that piazza in the first article about the trams of Genoa (Genova). At one time, Piazza de Ferrari was full of ‘circular tramlines’ and it was congested through much of the day.
Tram lines left Piazza Raffeale de Ferrari along Via Roma, to the Northeast and along Via XX Settembre.
The lines along Via Roma led to Piazza Corvetto where lines diverged to Carignano, Brignole, Manin and Acquaverde and Principe. A further line looped through the hills North of the city centre from Acquaverde to Manon, and a line ran North from Manin up the Val Bisagno to Staglieno and Prato. We will lookat these line in this article, those which ran out of Piazza de Raffeale Ferrari along Via XX Settembre will be for a further article.
As we have already noted, at Piazza Corvetto lines diverged to Piazza Carignano, Brignole, Manin and Acquaverde and Principe.
Line No. 29 – Piazza Corvetto to Carignano
The line to Carignano left the piazza in a South-southwest direction. The roads used are currently named Via XII Ottobre and Viale IV Novembre, Corso Andrea Podesta (which bridges Via XX Settembre), Via Corsica, Via Galeazzo Alessi.
This extract from the Baedeker Map of Genova from 1906 shows the route of Tram No. 29 – from Piazza de Ferrari to Piazza Corvetto, then South on the East side of Ospidale di Pammatone, along Corso Andrea Podesta (which bridges Via XX Settembre), then in a loop including Via Corsica, Via Nino Bixio, Piazza Carignano and Via Galeazzo Alessi, (c) Public Domain. [40]The route of Line No. 29 is shown dotted on this extract from Google’s satellite imagery. [Google Maps, December 2024]This image shows a tram heading out of Piazza Corvetto in the Carignano direction down the present Via XII Ottobre. The image was shared on the C’era una volta Genova Facebook Group by Alessandro Pellerano on 23rd March 2021, (c) Public Domain. [22]A similar view looking towards Piazza Corvetto along Via XII Ottobre in the 21st century. [Googl;e Streetview, August 2024]If this image is prior to 1923, traffic in Genova would have been on the left. This tram would then be travelling away from the camera leaving Viale IV Novembre to run along a short length on Via XII Ottobre to Piazza Corvetto. This image was shared on the Foto Genova Antica Facebook Group by Silvia Brisigotti on 31st May 2024, (c) Public Domain. [26]A similar view towards Piazza Corvetto from Via IV Novembre. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Looking South along Corso Andrea Podesta with Abbazio di Santo Stefano peeping out behind the first building on the right. This image was shared on the Foto Genova Antica Facebook Group on 15th February 2020 by Enrico Pinna, (c) Public Domain. [33]The same view in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Looking North along Corso Andrea Podesta. This image was shared on the Foto Genova Antica Facebook Group on 14th March 2019 by Enrico Pinna, (c) Public Domain. [31]A similar view facing North on Corso Andrea Podesta across the bridge over Via XX Settembre.on the left of the photograph is Abbazio di Santo Stefano. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Looking East along Via XX Settembre with Abbazio di Santo Stefano on the left and the bridge carrying Corso Andrea Podesta ahead. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Corso Andrea Podesta, 1906. This image was shared on the Foto Genova Antica Facebook Group on 26th July 2022 by Renata Fergola, (c) Public Domain. [30]A similar view in the 21st century. The three buildings on the right of the monochrome image above dominate this photo. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Looking North along Corso Andrea Podesta from a point a few hundred metres to the South of the bridge over Via XX Settembre. This image was shared on the Foto Genova Antica Facebook Group on 7th July 2024 by Zenzero Secondo from the Collection of Stefano Finauri, (c) Public Domain. [29]A similar view in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, August 2024]At the South end of Corso Andrea Podesta, looking North. This image was shared on the Foto Genova Antica Facebook Group on 26th July 2024 by Pietro Spanedda, (c) Public Domain. [27]This view seems to be as close as it is possible to get on Google Streetview to the colourised postcard image above. The steps which are prominent in the image above can be seen through the balustrade to the right of this image. [Google Streetview, 2019]Via Corsica, 1916. This image was shared on the C’era una volta Genova Facebook Group on 23rd November 2019 by Pietro Cassani, (c) Public Domain. [34]Via Corsica in the 21st century – the trees evident in the monochrome image above have matured significantly since the early 20th century. As a result it is difficult to determine the modern equivalent of the older view. [Google Streetview, August 2024]
A loop ran round Via Galeazzo, Piazza Carignano and Via Corsica as shown below
Piazza Carignano in the early years of the 20th century looking along Via Galeazzo Alesi. The tram in the picture appears to have travelled to Piazza Carignano along Via Galeazzo Alesi. It will turn to its left along the side of Piazza Carignano before leaving the piazza along Via Nino Bixio. The loop may also have been travelled in the reverse direction, if so, this tram is leaving Piazza Carignanao down Via Galeazzo Alesi. This image was shared on the C’era una volta Genova Facebook Group by Franco Bonadonna on 18th October 2022, (c) Public Domain. [25]Tha same view in the 21st century. [Googl;e Streetview, August 2024]This picture shows the tram tracks running along the side of Piazza Carignano from Via Galeazzo Alesi and turning down Via Nino Bixio. This image was shared on the Foto Genove Antica Facebook Group on 30th April 2024 by Pietro Spanedda, (c) Public Domain. [23]This view of Via Nino Bixio seen from Via Corsica shows a tram running away from the camera along Via Nino Bixio having turned right from Via Corsica. Prior to 1923 Genova traffic travelled on the left. This image was shared on the C’era una volta Genova Facebook Group by Roberto Cito on 9th September 2023, (c) Public Domain. [24]A similar view in the 21st century of Via Nino Bixio from Via Corsica. [Google Streetview, September 2020]
Line 30 – Piazza della Raibetta to Piazza Brignole via Piazza Corevetto
Italian Wikipedia describes this route as a ‘circular’ (Circolare) – we will need to consider how this route differs from an ‘out-and-back’ service (such as Line 29 between Piazza de Ferrari and Piazza Carignano).
Piazza della Raibetta was the terminus of a coastal tram route. Initially, it was only served by Line No. 30.
These three extracts from the Baedeker 1906 map of Genoa show the route of Line No. 30.
Again, assuming the map by Arbalete is correct, the line ran South from Piazza Raibetta along (probably) Via Filippo Turati and then through Piazza Cavour onto Sottopasso di Carcimento. The line continued around the South side of the city along Corso Maurizio Quadro and Corso Aurelio Saffi (previously Corso Principe Oddone) to the mouth of the River Bisagno where it turned inland, following the Val Bisagno as far as Via Luigi Cardorna where trams turned left following that road to the West which continued into Via XX Settembre. Then into Piazza de Ferrari, Via Roma, Piazza Corvetto, Via Serra and finally Piazza Brignole, (c) Public Domain. [40]
Line No. 30 from Piazza Raibetta along (probably) Via Filippo Turati and then through Piazza Cavour onto Sottopasso di Carcimento. The line then continued around the South side of the city along Corso Maurizio Quadro and, at the bottom of this satellite image, Corso Aurelio Saffi. [Google Maps, December 2024]Trams followed Corso Aurelio Saffi (previously Corso Principe Oddone) to the mouth of the River Bisagno where they turned inland, following the Val Bisagno as far as Via Luigi Cardorna where trams turned left following that road to the West which continued into Via XX Settembre. [Google Maps, December 2024]From Via XX Settembre trams entered Piazza de Ferrari ran along Via Roma, through Piazza Corvetto onto Via Serra and into Piazza Brignole. [Google Maps, December 2024]
There is an alternative to this route. This would have trams returning from Brignole to Ponte Pila by a more direct route and so completing a ‘circular’ as suggested by the route listings above. The 1906 Baedeker below shows a tram route which would permit this option.
These next few photographs of the coast road (Circonvallazione a Mare) focus on a dramatic Villa which overhung the road – Villa Figari (also known as Villa Mylius).
Via Settembre feeds into Piazza de Ferrari and trams passed through Ferrari onto Via Roma and then on to Piazza Corvetto. Pictures of this length of the route can be found in the part of this article (above) covering Line No. 29.
From Piazza Corvetto the trams ran along Via Serra to Plaza Brignole.
The view East from Piazza Corvetto along Via Serra towards Piazza Brignole. [Google Streetview, August 2024]A view across the railway tracks at Brignole station, looking West through Piazza Brignole and along Via Serra, (c) Public Domain. [50]Looking West from Piazza Brignole along Via Serra. This image was shared by Gino Ratto on the C’era una volta Genova Facebook Group on 14th July 2020, (c) Public Domain. [55]The view along Via Serra from Piazza Brignole in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Piazza Brignole to the Northwest of the Railway Station. This image was shared by Corallo Giorgio on the C’era una volta Genova Facebook Group on 9th November 2016, (c) Public Domain. [61]Piazza Brignole in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, August 2024]
Just to the West of Piazza Brignole, a tram line ran along Via Galata, South from Via Serra to Via Colombo, along Via Colombo to Via Ederra (now Via Fiume), then North on Via Ederra before turning Southeast across the front of Brignole Railway Station (across the North side of Piazza Guiseppe Verdi and then Southwest alongside the River Bisagno on Via Canevari.
Trams ran South on Via Galata. [Google Streetview, August 24]Trams ran East on Via Colombo. [Google Streetview, April 2023]Looking North on Via Fiume (once Via Edeera) which trams followed towards Brignole Station which sits beyond the trees to the right of this image. [Google Streetview, August 2020]The curve round to the front of Brignle Railway Station, (c) Public Domain. [60]A similar view in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Looking South down the line of the right bank of the River Bisagno (now culverted). The street is Via Canevari. Trams ran South alongside the river on Via Canevari.Looking North up Via Canevari with the River Bisagno on the right. This image was shared on the Foto Genova Antica Facebook Group by Asinus Natator on 7th February 2022, (c) Public Domain. [52]Looking North from a similar position in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, August 2024]
From the location of Ponte Pila trams followed the route alongside the River Bisagno and then along Corso Aurelio Saffi back to Piazza Raibetta.
Piazza Corvetto to Piazza del Principe
Two tunnels made it possible for trams to run between Piazza Corvetto and Piazza Principe. The route ran via, what are now Galleria Nino Bixio and Galleria Giuseppe Garibaldi, through Largo della Zecca, along Via Paolo Emilio Bensa, through Piazza della Nunziata, along Via Balbi, through Piazza Acquaverde and then along the South side of Principe Railway Station along Via Andrea Doria to Piazza del Principe.
The tram route we are looking at now runs West-northwest out of Piazza Corvetto through two tunnels and through Piazza Acquaverde before reaching Piazza del Principe. A relatively straight route except for the dog-leg close to Piazza Acquaverde. [19]
Trams on Line No. 25 turned to the Northwest at the East end of Piazza Acquaverde. A short climb led to the lower entrance to Galleria Sant’Ugo. That tunnel is covered in the earlier post in this short series, here. [1]
Galleria Sant’Ugo was a horseshoe shaped tunnel which lifted trams to pavement level in Piazza Pedro Ferriera. Leaving the tunnel trams ran Northeast along Via Sant’Ugo.
Corso Firenze continues East then Northeast. It then turns sharply to the right, heading Southwest. The next monochrome image looks North from the end of that southwesterly length of the road.
Corso Firenze gives out onto Piazza Goffredo Villa where the tram route ran Northwest-Southeast for a short distance before heading Northeast on Corso Niccolo Paganini.
Trams ran the full length of Corso Magenta and onto Corso Solferino which in turn led to Corso Carlo Armellini. Passing the Manin/Contardo Lift on their left, trams entered Piazza Manin.
Looking East into Piazza Manin from Corso Carlo Armellini. [Google Streetview, April 2023]Piazza Manin seen from the East looking off The Ponte di Via della Crocetta, (c) Public Domain. [82]Piazza Manin, (c) Public Domain. [84]A simila view in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, April 2023]Piazza Manin, (c) Public Domain. [86]Piazza Manin, looking East, (c) Public Domain. [87]A view looking East from Piazza Manin in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, August 2024]
Piazza Corvetto to Piazza Manin, Staglieno and Prato in Val Biasagno.
This article has covered the Western half of the Eastern tram network. We will cover the length of line from Piazza Corvetto to Plato (via Paizza Manin and Staglieno) along with the lines which ran East along Via XX Settembre to Val Bisagno and then diverged to serve Staglieno, Raibetta (which we have already looked at), Foce, Thommaseo and Nervi in another article.
We will also cover the history of the Genoa Network from the end of the first World War in that next article and, either in that article of a further article, the rolling stock used on the network.
We begin this article with a look at maps of the Piazza Raffeale de Ferrari and its immediate environs over the years around the turn of the 20th century. The Piazza became one of two focal points for tramways in the city (the other was Caricamento).
I found the series of maps interesting and they provoked a desire to find out more about the network of horse-drawn and later electric trams and tramways of Genoa. ….
Italian Wikipedia informs us that: “The first public transport in Genoa was provided by a horse bus service linking the city centre and Sampierdarena, that started in 1873. In 1878, the French company Compagnia Generale Francese de Tramways (CGFT, French General Company of Tramways) began to build a horse tram system.” [16][17]
Towards the end of the century, the new urban plan led to the construction of new roads with wider carriageways, principal among these were:
Via Assarotti connecting Piazza Corvetto to Piazza Manin;
Via XX Settembre, built between 1892 and 1899, widening Strada Giulia and connecting the Palazzo Ducale (Piazza de Ferrari) with Porta Pila and the banks of the River Bisagno (once the eastern boundary of the city);
Corso Buenos Aires, once outside the city walls, was lowered to the level of Ponte Pila and the new Via XX Settembre, to form a single artery that would connect the centre with the Albaro district;
Corso Torino, perpendicular to Corso Buenos Aires.
After this work was done, the city began to look more modern and the widened streets made room for tramways in the centre and East of the city. The municipal administration began to plan new lines, both towards the eastern suburbs and in the central districts of the city. [19]
The city welcomed competition and set up a series of concessions which were given to different groups: the French Company kept the Western concession; Val Bisagno and the hilly areas to two Swiss businessman (Bucher & Durrer); and the east of the city was granted to a group of local businessmen. [19][20: p66]
The two parties, other than the French, formed companies: Bucher created the Società di Ferrovie Elettriche e Funicolari (SFEF) in 1891. [20: p85] The Genoese entrepreneurs founded the Società Anonima Tramways Orientali (SATO) in 1894. [20: p120] The two companies took on the two concessions which envisaged electric traction on metre-gauge lines to accommodate running on the narrow winding streets of the city centre. [19]
“By 1894, SFEF had achieved no more than a single short electric tram line between Piazza Manin and Piazza Corvetto, whilst SATO had not progressed beyond the planning stage. The CGFT system had extended through the city and the Val Polcevera, but was still horse operated.” [16][17]
“In 1894, the German company Allgemeine Elektrizitäts Gesellschaft (AEG) … bought both the SFEF and SATO companies. The following year AEG created the company Officine Electrical Genovesi (OEG), … which took over the city’s existing electricity supply company, and the Società Unione Italiana Tramways Elettrici (UITE), … which purchased the CGFT’s concession. By the end of 1895, AEG had a monopoly of both electricity supply and public transport provision in the city.” [16][17] Under AEG’s “ownership, SFEF and SATO developed a tram network of more than 53 km (33 mi) reaching Nervi and Prato, whilst UITE electrified their lines to Voltri and Pontedecimo.” [16][17]
As we have already noted, the first electric traction line connected Piazza Corvetto to Piazza Manin, running along Via Assarotti. [20: p92] It was activated by SFEF on 14th May 1893 [20: p96] The single-track line was 800 metres long and ran on a constant gradient of 7% [20: p95]; the tickets cost 10 cents. The electrification (600 V DC) was via an overhead cable and was carried out by AEG of Berlin, which, as we have already seen, later acquired a significant shareholding in the company. [19][20: p86-87]
In subsequent years the SFEF network expanded rapidly; in 1895-96 the Monte line to the North of the city centre entered into service, including the Sant’Ugo spiral tunnel; in 1896 the line from Piazza Principe to Piazza Brignole was born. It included two tunnels in the Castelletto area. [21: p20] , In 1897, the Val Bisagno line up to Prato began operation. [19][21: p26]
The first SATO line entered into service on 26th July 1897, connecting Piazza Raibetta to Staglieno through the Circonvallazione a Mare, [20: p122] followed two years later by the long coastal line to Nervi. [20: p127] In 1900 the eastern trams reached the central Piazza de Ferrari, travelling along the new Via XX Settembre which was formed through widening of the old Via Giulia. [19][21: p53]
The two networks, SFEF and SATO, were technically compatible and the two companies, both controlled by AEG, soon unified the two networks. [20: p142]
“Finally in December 1901, AEG merged SFEF and SATO into an enlarged UITE.” [16][17]
The enlarged UITE found itself managing 70 km of network, divided between the 30 km of the ‘Western network’: (formerly the French Company) and the 40 km of the ‘Eastern network’ (formerly SFEF and SATO). [20: p170-171] The unification of the network led to an increase in overall traffic, symbolised by the creation of the vast ring terminus in Piazza de Ferrari in 1906. [20: p129]
This seems the right time to look again at the ‘ring terminus’ in Piazza de Raffeale Ferrari. ….
In 1908, after three years of construction work, Galleria Certosa (Certosa Tunnel) was put into use. It facilitated tram journeys to and from the Polcevera valley, avoiding the crossing of San Pier d’Arena. [19][21: p38] The tunnel connected Piazza Dinegro, in the port area, to the Rivarolo district in Val Polcevera. It was 1.76 km long. [22]
In 1934, Galleria Certosa was used every day by five lines: Tram No. 9 (San Giorgio-Rivarolo), tram No. 10 (San Giorgio-Bolzaneto), tram No. 11 (San Giorgio-Pontedecimo) and the two circular lines between San Giorgio and Sampierdarena. [22]
Having noted the construction of Galleria Certosa in the early years of the 20th century (above), it is worth looking at some other tunnels which were built to facilitate the movement of trams.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele III (renamed Galleria Giuseppe Garibaldi on 27th November 1943)
There seems to be quite a story to the life of this tunnel! The first two photographs show the first tunnel. They focus on the portal in Piazza Della Zeccan.
These next two photographs show the tunnel as it was first widened in the form which preceded the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele III which had a much smaller bore.
Named after Christopher Columbus, whose house was nearby, the gallery was opened to the public in the 1930s and was hailed as the city’s gateway to the sea. It connected Piazza de Ferrari and Piazza della Vittoria.
Now long gone, there was a tram tunnel on Via Milano to the Southwest of the city centre. It took the tramway (and roadway) under San Benigno Hill. It was.built in 1878 by the Compagnia Generale Francese dei Tramways for its horse-drawn trams. Its Southwest portal was in Largo Laterna. Its Northeast portal is shown in the first image below.
In the early years of the 20th century, the municipal administration began to consider the idea of taking control of the tram service. In anticipation of this, in 1913, it built its own line from Marassi to Quezzi, known as Municipal Line A, it was operated by UITE on behalf of the Municipality. [19][21: p44]
Before the start of World War 1, the tram network provided these services: [19]
21 De Ferrari – Manin – Staglieno 22 De Ferrari – Manin 23 De Ferrari – Manin – Castelletto 24 De Ferrari – Manin – Castelletto – San Nicholo 25 Circuit in the hilly suburbs 26 Piazza Principe – Corso Ugo Bassi 27 De Ferrari – Zecca – Principe 28 Caricamento – De Ferrari – Galliera ‘Ospital 29 De Ferrari – Carignano 30 Circular Raibetta – Brignole – Corvetto – Raibetta 31 De Ferrari – Staglieno – Molassana – Prato 32 De Ferrari – Staglieno – Molassana 33 De Ferrari – Pila – Staglieno 34 Staglieno – Iassa 35 Pila – Staglieno 36 Pila – Staglieno – Molassana 37 De Ferrari – San Fruttuoso 38 De Ferrari – Foce 39 De Ferrari – San Francesco – Sturla – Priaruggia – Quinto – Nervi 40 De Ferrari – San Francesco – Sturla – Priaruggia – Quinto 41 De Ferrari – San Francesco – Sturla – Priaruggia 42 De Ferrari – San Francesco – Sturla 43 De Ferrari – Villa Raggio – Lido 44 De Ferrari – Tommaseo – San Martino – Borgoratti 45 De Ferrari – Tommaseo – San Martino – Sturla 46 De Ferrari – Tommaseo – San Martino 47 De Ferrari – Tommaseo 48 Raibetta – Pila
III. Municipal line:
A De Ferrari – Quezzi
The Western Network, particularly before World War One
Lines 1 to 11 constituted the Western Network. All of these lines had their city centre terminus at Piazza Caricamento. The Piazza is shown on the adjacent 1916 map.
The map shows part of the Port area of Genoa (Genova) in 1916 with a significant series of standard-gauge railway sidings in evidence (black lines) and some red lines which indicate the metre-gauge tram routes. Piazza Caricamento is close to the water halfway down the map extract. [31]
There were three main routes out of Piazza Caricamento, one of which followed the coast round to meet the lines on the East of the city. The other two shared the bulk of the services leaving the piazza. One of these two routes ran West through San Pier d’Arena (Sampierdarena), the other ran through Galleria Certosa.
The route to San Pier d’Arena (Sampierdarena) closely follows the coast and ran through the Galleria on Via Milano before the San Benigno Hill was raised to the ground.
Pictures of the Galleria can be seen earlier in this article.
West of the Galleria, the original tramway ran along what is now Via Giacomo Buranello (what was Via Vittorio Emanuele) to Sampierdarena. This route appears to the North of the SS1 on the satellite image below.
Before looking at line further West from Sampierdarena we need to note a line which was added to the network before WW1.
A second tramway was built which ran alongside the railway sidings on what is now the SS1, it was then Via Milano, towards Sampierdarena. The route is illustrated by the mid-20th century view below.
That route along Via Sampierdarena (Via Milano and Via Colombo) and then Via Pacinotti is illustrated at the bottom of the map below. After running along the centre of Via Sampierdarena, trams turned inland, heading Northwest to join the earlier route, West of Piazza Vittorio Veneto on Via Pacinotti.
A map provided by the Marklinfan.com Forum which shows the new coastal tram route mentioned above. [92]
The Western Network’s Coastal Line(s)
At Sampierdarena the original lines of the Western network separated. Some lines continuing along the coast and others turning inland. The lines diverged at the West end of Piazza Vittorio Veneto. The coastal line ran along what is today Via Frederico Avio, then turned onto what is now Via Antonio Pacinotti, before turning West on what is now Via Raffaele Pieragostini, crossing the River Polcevera at Ponte di Cornigliano, running along Via Giovanni Ansaldo before joining Via Cornigliano at Piazza Andrea Massena.
We have followed the Western Network as far as we can along the coast. We now need to look at the line(s) of the Western network which ran up the valley of the River Polcevera from Sampierdarena.
To do this we need to return to Piazza Vittorio Veneto in Sampierdarena.
The Western Network and Val Polcevera (the Valley of the River Polcevera)
The lines to the North left Piazza Vittorio Veneto at its Western end, passing immediately through an underpass under the FS Standard Gauge railway.
In the 19th century the route was known as ‘Via Vittorio Emanuele’. In the early years of the 20th century the road was renamed ‘Via Umberto 1’. In 1935, the city gave the road the name ‘Via Milite Ignoto’ (the Unknown Soldier). This decision appears to have been short-live as very soon the road was divided into two lengths, the more southerly length becoming ‘Via Martiri Fascisti’, the remaining length, ‘Via delle Corporazioni’. After the end of Word War Two renaming again occurred. In 1945 the names which continue to be used in the 21st century were chosen – ‘Via Paolo Reti’ and ‘Via Walter Fillak ‘. Fillak and Reti were partisans in WW2. [59][66]
A view from above … This is Piazza (Via) Vittorio Emanuele seen from the West. The tram tracks can be seen heading away through the underpass in the foreground. [75]
The route of this part of the old tramway network begins at this rail underpass (where the street is now named, ‘Piazza Nicolo Montano’, having once been Via Nino Bixio), [65] before running along Via Paolo Reti and then Via Walter Fillak. Just beyond the underpass the railway station access left the road on the left. The first old postcard views below show this location.
Two pixelated, low definition images showing the bottom end of what was Via Umberto 1. One the left in both images is the incline leading to the Sampierdarena Railway Station forecourt. [59]A tram sits at a stop at Piazza Montano. This image was shared on the Foto Genova Antica Facebook Group by Annamaria Patti on 22nd May 2022. [3]Three further postcard views, of better quality, of the bottom end of Via Umberto 1, (c) Public Domain. [59][62][63]The view to the Northeast from the rail underpass in 2024. The station approach is on the left. The old tramway curved round to the left below the station approach’s retaining wall. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Just a little further along the old tram route. The retaining wall on the left supports the station approach road. The tramway ran on along what is now Via Paolo Reti. For some distance the road was flanked by a retaining wall supporting the FS standard-gauge railway. [Google Streetview, August 2024]
The adjacent Google satellite image shows roads over which the old tramway ran. In the bottom right is Piazza Nicolo Montano. It is also possible to make out the station approach ramp which has a number of cars parked on it. In the immediate vicinity of the passenger railway station, railway buildings can be seen separating Via Paolo Reti from the railway but very soon the road and the railway run side-by-side with the railway perhaps 2 to 3 metres above the road. Via Eustachio Degola passes under the railway just to the North of the station buildings. Towards the top of the satellite image, Via Paolo Reti can be seen turning away from the railway wall. [Google Maps, December 2024]
Via Paolo Reti (the former Via Umberto 1) turns away from the railway wall which is now much lower than it was near the station buildings. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Via Umberto 1, looking North from the bend visible in the photograph above where the road leaves the side of the railway, (c) Public Domain. [68]Via Paolo Reti (once Via Umberto 1) at the same location as the monochrome image above. [Google Streetview, August 2024]
The monochrome image below purports to show Piazza San Marino. As far as I can work out the piazza was historically, ‘Piazza Vittorio Emanuele III’ and later renamed for another partisan from World War 2 – ‘Piazza Ricardo Masnata’.
A relatively low quality image of Piazza San Marino and Via Umberto 1. The piazza later became Piazza Ricardo Masnata. This view looks North with a tram visible on the left, (c) Public Domain. [64]Piazza Ricardo Masnata, looking North. There is little to link this image from 2024 with the monochrome image above, other than the alignment of the roads and the shape of the piazza. However, at the centre of this image is a lower building which also appears in the monochrome image. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Via Umberto 1 looking North from what became Piazza Ricardo Masnata, (c) Public Domain. [67]The same location in the 21st century. [GVia Umberto 1, now Via Walter Fillak with a tram heading towards Genoa. [69]The same location on Via Walter Fillak in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, August 2024]
The line from Sampierdarena ran towards Certosa where, once Galleria Certosa was completed, it met the line through the tunnel.
The tramway followed Via Celesia through Rivarolo (Superior). Rivarolo and Via Celesia can be seen at the bottom of this extract from openstreetmap.org. [79]
This image from the early 20th century looks North along Via Celesia. Space on the street was clearly at a premium! [80]Via Celesia in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, August 2024]
North of Via Celesia, the tramway ran along Via Rivarolo.
This postcard shows the junction at the North end of Via Celesia, circa. 1920s. Via Rivarolo is ahead. This image was shared on the C’era una volta Genova Facebook Group by Mario Vanni on 18th August 2019, (c) Public Domain. [82]The smae location in the 21st century. [Google Streeetview, August 2024]This next extract from openstreetmap.org shows Via Rivarolo entering bottom-left. Trams ran on into Teglia on Via Teglia and continued on to Bolzaneto (in the top-right of this extract) along Via Constantino Reta. [79]This postcard view looks South along what is now Via Teglia (then Via Regina Margherita. This image was shared on the C’era una volta Genova Facebook Group by Elio Berneri on 19th October 2020, (c) Public Domain. [83]A very similar view at the same location in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Car 906 in service on line 7 Caricamento – Pontedecimo, one of the longest of the UITE, is seen here running in Bolzaneto. The photograph was taken facing North. In the background you can see another Tramcar, as well as a third on the track in the opposite direction, (c) Public Domain. [84]A similar North facing view in Bolzaneto in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, August 2024]A tram waits at Piazza del Municipio in Bolzaneto. This image was shared by Mario Vanni on the C’era una volta Genova Facebook Group on 8th July 2021, (c) Public Domain. [85]A very similat view of the same location in the 21st century. The road on which the bus is standing is now known as Via Pasquale Pastorino. [Google Streetview, August 2024]A few hundred metres to the Northeast is the area known as ‘Bratte’. A tram waits in the mid-20th century to set off for Caricamento. This image was shared on the C’era una volta Genova Facebook Group by Roberto Della Rocca on 12th December 2020. [86]A similar view at the same location in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, August 2024]
North of Bratte, Trams crossed the River Secca, a tributary of the Polcevera, following Via Ferriere Bruzzo and then continued North alongside the River Polcevera on Via San Quirico.
Tram No 79 leads a trailer car South on Via San Quirico in the first decades of the 20th century. It seems as though Ponte Tullio Barbieri can be seen behind the tram. This image was shared by Sergio De Nicolai on the C’era una volta Genova Facebook Group on 21st October 2018. [88]A similar location on Via San Quirico in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, July 2022]
Trams passed under the FS Standard-gauge lines close to Ponte Tullio Barbieri. [Google Streetview, June 2022]Trams ran on through the centre on San Quirico on Via San Quirico.Before returning to the side of the river, passing under the railway again. [Google Streetview, July 2022]
The next length of the journey is the last. Trams terminated at Pontedecimo. [79]
A tram and trailercar on Lungo Polcevera in Pontedecimo close to Pontedecimo Railway Station, This image was taken looking South along the river bank and was shared by Giorgio Gioli on the C’era una volta Genova Facebook Group on 4th November 2020. [89]This view looks South along the bank of the River Polcevera at a location similar to that in the image above. [Googler Streetview, January 2021]
The central piazza in Pontedecimo. The terminus of the tram service. This image was shared on the C’era una volta Genova Facebook Group by Roberto Cito on 29th October 2023. [87]Trams terminated in Pontedecimo. [Google Streetview, July 2022]The tram depot at Pontedecimo. This image was shared on the C’era una volta Genova Facebook Group by Alessandro Lombardo on 30th October 2019. [90]
The Metropolitana di Genova is, in 2024, a single-line, double-track light rapid transit system that connects the centre of Genova, Italy with the suburb of Rivarolo Ligure, to the north-west of the city centre. It runs through to Brignole Railway Station in the East of the city. In 2024, the service is managed by Azienda Mobilità e Trasporti (AMT), which provides public transport for the city of Genoa. [1]
The Metro is a 7.1 kilometres (4.4 mi) long 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) (standard gauge) double-track line and is electrified with overhead lines at 750 volts DC. It has a direct connection with Trenitalia’s mainline railway station, Principe. [1]
The origins of a subway in Genoa date back to the beginning of the twentieth century; in 1907 Carlo Pfalz, who had already designed the Zecca-Righi Funicular, [2] was the first to explore the construction of an underground railway with electric traction. Several projects, including that of the engineer Angelo Massardo and those of Renzo Picasso (1911 and 1930), were proposed without being realized. Instead, a tram system at surface level was built which ultimately was abandoned in 1966. An attempt to introduce an alternative means of transport was made on the occasion of the International Exhibition of Marine and Maritime Hygiene of 1914: it was a ‘Telfer’, an elevated monorail that connected the Port (Giano Pier area) to the exhibition area in Piazza di Francia, in front of the Brignole station. The infrastructure was then abandoned and finally demolished in 1918. [1]
An article about the Telfer can be found here. [3]
The underground ‘Metro’ was built in a series of phases. “The first section, opened on 13th June 1990 in time for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, was 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles) [6] between the stations of Brin and Dinegro. [7] The line was extended to Principe in 1992, [6] to San Giorgio-Caricamento in 2003, [6] to De Ferrari (the underground station at Piazza De Ferrari) in 2005, [6] and to Brignole in 2012.” [8]
Since 2024, citizens of Genoa have been able to use the subway free of charge without any time restrictions.[9]
Stations
Brin Station – is currently (2024) the Northwest terminus of the line. It is situated along Via Benedetto Brin in the neighbourhood of Certosa in Rivarolo Ligure, a suburban area in the north-western outskirts of Genoa, Italy. The station, currently the terminus of the line, is located just west of the tunnel mouth on the line from Dinegro station. [10] It is built on a viaduct, which allows for the line to be extended to the north.
The station was designed by architect Renzo Piano, the station’s official opening took place on 13th June 1990. [10]
Dinegro Station is located under Via Milano, adjoining the Piazza Dinegro from which it derives its name, in the Fassolo area of Genova. It is just East of the business district of San Benigno and close to the ferry terminal.
Darsena Metro Station is located on Via Antonio Gramsci close to Piazza della Darsena. ‘Darsena’ translates to ‘dock’ in English. The station serves the old port area of the city. [15]
San Georgio Station is located under Piazza della Raibetta beside the Palazzo San Giorgio, after which it is named. It is in the Old Harbour area near the Aquarium of Genoa. It was opened together with Darsena Station on 25th July 2003 and saw its first trains on 7th August 2003. [17]
The tracks of the San Giorgio station run beneath the Piazza Caricamento underpass and its underground architecture is similar to the model adopted for the Principe and Darsena stops, that is, with the tracks on the sides of the single central platform. During 2006, some electronic display boards were installed to inform users of the arrival times of trains. [17]
Sarzano/Sant’Agostino Station is located in the historical centre of Genoa. The main entrance is in the Piazza di Sarzano near the Church of St. Augustine, now deconsecrated and turned into a museum, with a second entrance on the Mura della Marina, the old seawall. It opened on 3rd April 2006. [19]
De Ferrari Station is close to Teatro Carlo Felice, Galleria Mazzini, the Doge’s Palace, and Via XX Settembre. It opened on 4th February 2005. It was originally designed, like others, by Renzo Piano with finishing touches by Renzo Truffelli. This used to be the last station on the line until the easterly extension towards Genova Brignole Railway Station opened in 2012. [21][22]
The entrance to de Ferrari Station. [23]Platform level at de Ferrari Station. [€23]
Corvetto Station – In March 2024 3Ti Projeto announced that the design of Corvetto Station had been approved by the municipality. Work is expected to cost around 38.3 million Euros and be completed late in 2024 or early in 2025. [24][25][26]
These two images show the 3Ti Projeto design for Corvetto Station. [24]
Brignole Station – sits close to the main line Brignole Station to the West of the city centre. It opened in 2012. [27]
Wikipedia tells us that Genova is just (in 2024) bringing a fourth generation of trams into service. The three previous generations each served the city well.
First Generation Rolling Stock – consisted of 6 sets of articulated cars, built by Ansaldo, and introduced in 1990. They were derived from the Zurich Tram 2000 tram used in Switzerland, but altered for standard gauge running. Each vehicle had two sections with one central articulation. They were supported on three bogies The two outer bogies were motorised. The vehicles were bidirectional and had four sets of doors on each side. They had blue seats in a transverse arrangement. The train were numbered 01 to 06. [1][29]
Second Generation Rolling Stock – was made up of a group of 12 trains. Numbered 12 to 24. Like the first generation, each train was made up of two sections resting on three bogies, with the outer two motorised. The trains were bidirectional with six doors on each side, and the seats were arranged longitudinally. The trains were built by Ansaldo and introduced in 1992. [1][30]
Third Generation Rolling Stock – these trams/trains significantly differ to the previous two. They were delivered by Hitachi Rail Italy in 2016. There are 7 trains numbered 31 to 37. The trains are longer than previous generations at 39 metres and four articulated sections with five bogies. Of the five bogies, the central three are motorised. There are a total of four doors per side of the bidirectional sets. [1][31]
Fourth Generation Rolling Stock – In anticipation of the planned extensions (see below) and considering the now thirty-year service of the first generation trains, in 2020 the Municipality obtained a loan of 70 million Euros to purchase 14 new generation trains. [32] In 2021, Hitachi Rail signed the contract to supply the new trains on a rolling programme, monthly by month, to coincide with the inauguration of the Brin-Canepari and Brignole-Martinez routes. [33]
In June 2024, Sustainable Bus E-magazine reported that the first of these new units had arrived in Genoa. [26]
New tram/train No. 42. [26]
The new units will be numbered 41 to 54. “Each of the 14 new vehicles is made up of four half-cars, resting on five bogies, for a total length of 39 metres, will be able to accommodate up to 290 passengers, will be bidirectional, and will also run in double formation for a total length of 78 metres and a capacity of 580 passengers.” [26]
“In order to ensure greater operating flexibility, these trains will also be able to operate in double traction with the 7 third-generation vehicles, the 31-37 series delivered in 2016, currently in service.” [26]
The new units entry into service will “allow the scrapping of the 6 first-generation trains, series 01-06, … the average age of the fleet will thus be lowered from 18.5 years to 9.8 years. The 10-series trains (11-22 series) built between 1991 and 1995 will be kept in operation.” [26] The fleet will therefore consist of the 21 trains of the 30, 40 and 10 series trains.
Extensions to the Network
In 2022, the Railway Gazette reported that Genova municipality had approved plans for a 3 km western branch of the metro with four stations, linking Fiumara with the city centre. [4]
The western extension of Genoa’s Metro is shown in blue. [4]
In September 2024, the city secured 74.5 million Euros to significantly expand the Metro network as shown on the map below. [5]
The planned Metro network for Genoa (Genova) as reported in September 2024. [5]
As can be seen in the map above these significant additions to the network include a length up the Val Bisagno of elevated railway (SkyMetro).
The planned SkyMetro, running up the valley of the River Bisagno. [34]
The planned investment is over 400 million Euros at 2022 prices. Genoa will receive 418.9 million Euros to finance the SkyMetro of Val Bisagno, the extension of the metro from Brin to Via Canepari and work associated with the Rio Maltempo. The majority of the new money (398.8 million Euros) is intended for the construction of the SkyMetro.
During rush hour, the new line will be able to transport eighty percent of the valley’s users, resulting in a significant reduction in the production of exhaust fumes from private cars. It will be seven kilometers long and will have a neutral energy balance thanks to the photovoltaic system mounted on the roof, which will make the SkyMetro partially sustainable. The project will reach as far as Molassana but the city has every intention to take the scheme further, as far as Prato. [34]
Veronica Pallotta; Metropolitane: Genova, Comune e Ferrovie siglano accordo per il prolungamento verso Canepari; in Ferrovie.Info (in Italian), 30th December 2020, accessed on 24th February 2022.
This article covers the northern half of the line and has a quick look at the motive power and rolling-stock used.
Another article covers the history of the Line and the southern half of its route. It can be found here. [18]
This article covers the length of the line from Sardorella to Casella. [1]A topographical map of the route. [1]Perhaps a little clearer than the topographical map. [2]
We restart our journey from Genoa to Casella at Sardorella Halt. …
The railway is on three different levels on the hillside at Sant’Olcese. The first accommodates the Chiesa Halt, the tunnel above opens out onto the second level. The third level hosts the Tullo Halt.
A photograph of a later elettromotrice travelling on this curve can be found here. [17] In the linked image, unit A12 is shown on the curve from Casella Deposito to the Vittorio Veneto bridge (over the River Scrivia). It was shared by Gian-Paolo Codebo on the Sei de Casella se… Facebook Group on 7th May 2020.
During Construction steam power was employed by the contractor and there are images around which show at least one excursion event that was steam hauled prior to the Line’s formal opening.
Two pictures can be found on the first article in this series, here. [18]
In that first article, we noted that the electric supply was originally 2400V DC. “The first electric locomotives were supplied by Breda, numbered 1 to 3. They were 360 horsepower Bo-Bo locomotives with an innovative Breda-Somarini energy recovery system, unique in Italy. In addition to the motive power, 4 third-class carriages (Nos. 50-53); 3 mixed first-third class carriages (Nos. 20-22) and 16 freight wagons of various types were delivered in 1926, well before the railway opened.” [1]
Unless noted otherwise, the paragraphs below are translated/paraphrased/amended from the Italian Wikipedia page about the Genoa (Genova) to Casella Railway. [21]
Locomotives
At the commencement of the service on the railway, the three locomotives mentioned above were supplied by Breda and numbered 1 to 3. [21]
On 23rd August 1937, two of the locomotives were destroyed in an accident near Vicomorasso in which five people lost their lives. [22: p67]
This accident meant that replacement locomotives were required. Three electric locomotives were purchased from the Società Veneta. They had been built by MAN in 1913 for the Montebelluna – Asolo and Montebelluna – Valdobbiadene tramways in Veneto which closed in 1931. [21]
One of the locomotives mentioned in the paragraph above at Stazione di Caerano sometime between 1913 and 1931 in Montebelluna, at [23]
“These locomotives entered service in 1939, initially maintaining the original numbering (053, renumbered 055 in 1943, 054 and 056), after conversion of the original power supply system from 975 V DC to 2400 V DC.” [1]
Locomotive 28 and 29 were built in 1924 for the Adriatic-Appennino Railway. The electrical equipment was supplied by TIBB of Vado Ligure; the body and bogies were made by Carminati & Toselli of Milan. Originally, they were part of a 1922 order for 14 locomotives of 950 mm gauge for the Sangritana Railway. Two (Nos. 28 and 29) were sold to Ferrovia Genova Casella (FGC) – No. 28 in 1956 and No. 29 in 1960. [22: p98 & 184] Conversion was necessary as the locomotives required a gauge change and modification from freight/baggage locomotives to passenger locomotives.
The two locomotives entered service in 1962. No. 29 is currently the oldest electric locomotive still in operation in Italy and is used in composition with three carriages (C22-C103-C104) as a historic train used on charters. No. 28 was placed in storage in 1975 and finally decommissioned and dismantled in 1998. [21][22: p184]
Electtromortices A1, A2 and A3 were built in 1929 for the Ferrovia della Val di Fiemme (Ora – Predazzo), similarly by TIBB and Carminati & Toselli. These were transferred on the closure of the Ora – Predazzo line in 1963 to the Ferrovie Genoa Casella. [21][1]
Elettromotrice A1 while employed by Ferrovia della Val di Fiemme (Ora – Predazzo) at Ora depot. [25]
A1 was painted blue/cream in 2011 with AMT logos. It was used for ordinary trains until 2019 and in 2022 it was set aside awaiting significant maintenance. [21]
A2 was reconditioned and returned to its 1929 condition. It re-entered service in June 2018. In that December it was involved in an accident but emerged with little damage. In September 2019, further restoration work was completed and from February 2020 it was undertaking a regular historic train service, usually being timetabled for Saturday running. [21][26]
A3 was built by Gleismac/EAA, after having suffered serious damage in an accident at Sardorella in 1974. It returned to service in 1983. It remained in service until 1999. After it was withdrawn, it doesn’t 12 years in storage before ultimately being dismantled in 2011. [21]
Elettromotrices, A1, A2 and A3 were part of a batch of about thirty electric locomotives which were built by Carminati and Toselli of Milan. Twenty-three of these were very similar to each other. being produced between 1924 and 1940. Three of this batch of locos (A1-A3) were deployed on the Ora-Predazzo line and on its closure came to the FGC. [21]
In addition, two 420 horsepower locomotives (max. speed 45 km/hr), B51 and B52 with Bo-Bo running gear were also transferred to the FGC in the early 1960s. [1]
Also from Val di Fiemme came six bogie-carriages, two longer coaches numbered C101 and C102 and four of shorter carriages, numbered from C103 to C106. [1]
Elettromotrices A4-A7 were built in 1957 on the chassis and bogies of locos built by TIBB/Carminati & Toselli in 1926 for the Spoleto-Norcia railway. That reconstruction was undertaken by Casaralta-TIBB. It saw the application of new electrical equipment and the adoption of a new rounded body, typical of the mid-20th century. These elettromotrices transferred to Genoa in 1970 with the closure of Spoleto-Norcia line. They entered regular service, re-numbered A4-A7, between 1971 and 1973 after gauge-conversion from 950mm to metre-gauge. [21]
Units A6 and A7 were visually the same as units A4 and A5.
Elettromotrice A6 at work on the line before it was set aside. [10]
Units A4 and A7 were scrapped (in 2014 and 2016 respectively), while A5 was restored to running order in February 2010, with the installation of fully electronic speed measuring devices and a dead man’s device, the application of a cream/blue anti-graffiti film and new AMT logos. It was taken away for restoration in 2022, and finally A6 has been shelved for over 10 years awaiting restoration. [21][22: p191]
Electric locomotives A8-A10 were built in 1993 by Firema-Officine di Cittadella at the request of Ferrovia Genova-Casella, they have identical bodies to the decommissioned A3. However, A8 uses the TIBB bogies from B51, the A9 those from B52 and the A10 those from A3. This last unit also has a body slightly different from the others due to the lower window line. [21]
Elettromotrices A11-A12 were built in 1998 by FiReMa-Officine di Cittadella at the request of Ferrovia Genova-Casella. They have a body identical to the A10. A11 underwent a restyling in 2011 with the application of cream/blue anti-graffiti film and new AMT logos and is currently used in regular service. A12 is also back in service after an extraordinary overhaul of the bogies. [21][22: p198]
Locomotive D1 was built in 1964 on behalf of the German railways by the manufacturer Gmeinder & Co. by adapting the MaK V100 standard-gauge locomotive to metre gauge, it was numbered V52 902 (later 252 902) and used on the 28 km long Mosbach-Mudau metre-gauge line. When it’s service on that line came to an end (2nd June 1973), it was first converted to standard-gauge by Gmeinder and used by Sudwestdeutsche Eisenbahngesellschaft (SWEG) which put it to work on the Breisach-Endingen-Riegel line (numbered VL46-01). In 1986, it was sold to the Gleismac company which converted it to metre-gauge and then sold it to the FGC. It was used to haul construction and passenger trains during the renovation of the overhead line. It was then set aside at Casella Deposito for over 10 years until in 2008 it was sent to Monopoli where it was rebuilt by 2014 and it returned to service on the line in November 2015. [33][34]
Locomotive D1 responsible for a single coach. [9]And here with two coaches. [9]And here, escaping from a tunnel portal. [19]
Other Rolling Stock
We have already picked up some snippets of information about coaching stock and wagons. …
When the line opened there were “4 third-class carriages (Nos. 50-53); 3 mixed first-third class (Nos. 20-22) and 16 freight wagons of various types (delivered in 1926, well before the railway opened).” [1]
We also noted that, along with the B51 and B52 locos “from Val di Fiemme came six bogie-carriages, two longer coaches numbered C101 and C102 and four of shorter carriages, numbered from C103 to C106.” [1]
The following information is gleaned from H Rohrer’s detailed website about Italian railways. That website can be found here. [35]
Coaches C20-C22 were built by Breda and supplied in 1926, of which C22 was renovated by FGC in 1960 and C21 was renovated by Gleismac in 1979-1980. An image of Coach 22 can be found here. [36]
Coaches C50-C53 were built by Breda and supplied in 1926. An image of Coach C50 can be found here. [37] An image of refurbished Coach C53 can be seen here. [38]
Coaches C101-C102 were long-wheelbase bogie coaches, built by Carminati Toselli and supplied in 1929. These were later renovated by Gleismac between 1980 and 1983. An image of Coach 101 in original condition can be found here. [39] The renovated Coach 101 can be seen here. [40]
Coaches C103-C106 were short-wheelbase bogie coaches built by Conti (?) and supplied in 1929 (?). Of these C105 and C106 were later renovated by Gleismac between 1980 and 1983. The original Coach 104 can be seen here. [41] A refurbished Coach C106 can be seen here. [42]
Coaches C60-C62 were built by Citadella Firema and supplied in 1996/1997. An example can be seen here. [43]
The Genova–Casella railway is a 24.3 km narrow gauge railway that connects Genoa to Casella, a village in the mountains inland from the city. [1] The stations on the line are shown in the graphic immediately below:
The Route of the Line. [1]
This article covers the history of the line and a journey along the southern half of the railway (Genoa to Sardorella). The second article covers the northern half of the railway and its rolling stock. That second article can be found here. [16]
When it is operating, “the line operates nine trains per day and it is used for both commuting and tourist purposes; it crosses three valleys and was opened in 1929. While it is owned by Liguria Region, it has been operated since 2010 by AMT Genova.” [1]
“At the end of the nineteenth century, a direct railway link between Genoa and Emilia Romagna was proposed, as an alternative to the Turin–Genoa railway. The railway had to start from the Port of Genoa and cross the Ligurian mountains to reach Piacenza railway station and Borgotaro. It was intended to be a fast, long-distance line primarily for goods.” [1]
“As a result, SAFEL (Società Anonima Ferrovie Elettrici Liguri) considered the construction of a local passenger line, complementary to the Genoa-Piacenza freight line. Its purpose was to connect the city centre to all the small municipalities and holiday resorts of the Ligurian hinterland … The first section of this network was the Genoa-Casella line.” [1]
“The original project was planned with a bifurcation to provide a branch towards Busalla and a line to Torriglia, which in a second phase would be extended to Piacenza.” [1]
These were just the first proposals from SAFEL. It considered a wide range of other schemes intended to follow on from their successful completion. A start was made when, in 1908, “SAFEL applied to the Ministry for a concession for the construction of the Genoa-Casella line. This concession was obtained on 17th June 1915. Like most of the local railways of the time, the line was almost entirely single-track and had a tortuous alignment (in order to follow the topography of the Ligurian mountains). Electrification was part of the original plans and the 950 mm track gauge was chosen to minimise infrastructure costs in accord with a directive from the Council of Public Works which recommended the adoption of an ‘Italian metric gauge’ (950 mm) for railways unlike the true metric gauge (1000 mm) adopted for tramways.” [1]
“To allow the construction of a connection at Manin with the Genoa tram network , the operating company presented a variation to the project, approved by the Higher Council of Public Works, which sanctioned the adoption of the 1000 mm gauge. This connection, however, although reported in the first design tables, was never built.” [12 – translated from Italian]
“The coming of the First World War imposed a long postponement to the construction of the railway line. It was not until 28th February 1921 that the final agreement between the Government and SAFEL was signed, which gave the permitted a start to construction work.” [1 – translated/adapted from Itailan] “On 26th June 1921 the first stone was laid. The construction of tunnels, bridges, and station buildings was entrusted to the ‘Consorzio Cooperative Liguri di Produzione e Lavoro tra Combattenti’, which gave work to thousands of former soldiers and workers who remained unemployed after the first world war. The construction was entirely financed with private funds.” [1]
“On 26th June 1921 the first stone was laid. The construction of tunnels, bridges, and station buildings was entrusted to the ‘Consorzio Cooperative Liguri di Produzione e Lavoro tra Combattenti’, which gave work to thousands of former soldiers and workers who remained unemployed after the first world war. The construction was entirely financed with private funds.” [1]
Construction work proved to be complex. The section from Genoa to Trensasco required steep gradients. To facilitate construction, “a 1.2 km-long cable car was installed in order to transport building materials from the Bisagno River valley. The cable car system lifted materials over a height of 450 m. Electric excavators and crushers (modern machinery at the time) were also adopted to produce the necessary sand and cement on site.” [1]
“In 1924 the S.E.N. (Società Elettrica Nazionale), a subsidiary of the Ernesto Breda industries, was awarded a contract for the laying of track, the construction of the overhead line, the construction of electrical substations, and for the supply of rolling stock.” [1]
“Meanwhile, resources were expended on pursuing a succession of extension projects, some of which were very unlikely. This resulted in ongoing financial instability and a slowing of the construction work already on site.” [1]
“The first tracks were laid in 1926 starting from Vicomorasso, with the help of a Mallet-type steam locomotive purchased by the Ferrovie dell’Appenno Centrale, but operations were interrupted due to lack of funds.” [1]
“Work resumed in 1927 thanks to a grant from the Municipality of Genoa and the National Bank. The Breda company was asked to complete the remaining civil engineering work in addition to the electrification of the line and the laying of the track (the bridge between the two Fontanassa tunnels, the Cicala and Puin viaducts).” [1]
“On 7th June 1928, the steam locomotive used in the construction of the line made an inspection trip to Casella pulling a passenger car with the Podestà of Genoa, Sant’Olcese, Serra Riccò and Casella on board. It was welcomed by the citizens in celebration along the way. Only on 2nd October 1928 was the first electric train – reserved for two hundred members of the Italian Electrotechnical Association which in those days held its annual congress in Genoa – able to travel the entire line.” [1]
“On 1st September 1929 the official inauguration took place. … Due to the lack of external funding, the ambitious projects planned for a Ligurian railway network were never fulfilled – Casella became the terminus.”[1][2]
The electric supply was originally 2400V DC. “The first electric locomotives were supplied by Breda, numbered 1 to 3. They were 360 horsepower Bo-Bo locomotives with an innovative Breda-Somarini energy recovery system, unique in Italy. In addition to the motive power, 4 third-class carriages (Nos. 50-53); 3 mixed first-third class carriages (Nos. 20-22) and 16 freight wagons of various types were delivered in 1926, well before the railway opened.” [1]
In 1930, “the Vittorio Veneto bridge over the River Scrivia [was constructed], but the railway was not immediately extended along the route.” [1][3]
“In 1933, even though the railway was operating at full capacity with a high numbers of passengers and freight, SAFEL was on the verge of bankruptcy. … The company had invested heavily in the extension projects without [paying] off outstanding debts with Breda and banca Nazionale del Lavoro, which had financed much of the construction of the line. … In 1934 SAFEL was declared bankrupt after a court trial, and the management of the railway was acquired by the Lazzi bus companies.” [1]
“On 23rd August 1937, two of the locomotives were destroyed in an accident near Vicomorasso. … Three [replacement A1-1A locos] were purchased, … built by MAN in 1913 for the Montebelluna – Asolo and Montebelluna – Valdobbiadene tramways [which] closed in 1931. … The machines entered service in 1939, … after conversion of the original power supply system from 975 V DC to 2400 V DC.” [1]
“During the Second World War the railway experienced its period of maximum use, since numerous families were evacuated to the area to the North of Genoa and the train operated both for passengers and for freight. … At the end of the conflict, both the infrastructure and the rolling stock were seriously damaged by intensive use and poor maintenance, so much so that use of the line was suspended and in 1949 it was placed under Government Commissioner Management.” [4: p16 – translated/adapted from Itailan]
“In 1953 the line was extended from the Casella depot to the town. … Since 1975, the railway has undergone complete … renovation, with the replacement of the rails, the electrical substation and the functional restructuring of the depots.” [4: p16 – translated/adapted from Itailan]
In 1956, a locomotive (No. 28) with a power of 355 kW with a maximum speed of 50 km/h was acquired from the Sangritana Railway; in 1960 another unit (No. 29) and spare parts were acquired. “The locomotives were part of a contract of fourteen four-axle locomotives built in 1924 with electrical equipment and bogies supplied by TIBB and case made by Carminati & Toselli. Originally narrow-gauge at 950 mm, they were converted to [metre-gauge].” [1]
“The ‘Casella train’ remains one of the few secondary Italian railways still in use because not only does it serve a route for which there is no alternative road network, but it also is a tourist attraction (the route intersects numerous hiking trails, including those to the Forts of Genoa and a stretch of the Alta Via dei Monti Liguri) and has low operating costs.” [4: p16 – translated/adapted from Itailan]
In the four-year period 1997-2000, the line was entrusted to the Italian State Railways to achieve a technical-economic recovery, and from 1 January 2001 it became the property of the Liguria Region.][4: p16 – translated/adapted from Itailan]
“Starting from the terminus at Manin, the route winds its way out of the city: running along a stretch of the Val Bisagno, it serves the localities of S. Pantaleo, Cappuccio, Campi, Pino Soprano, Torrazza, before passing through the Trensasco tunnel into Val Polcevera and reaching the terminus at Casella, in Valle Scrivia.” [4: p16 – translated/adapted from Itailan]
The Route
The terminus in Genoa is the Genova Manin railway station, located above the Piazza Manin and can be reached via a flight of steps or by bus No. 64.
In subsequent satellite images, red dots will only be used where the route of the railway is less clear than it might be. The next 5 satellite images take us as far as the Ex-Chiesa San Pantaleo where the Via San Pantaleo passes under the railway.
Close to Ex-Chiesa di San Pantaleo the Via San Pantaleo passes under the railway. Google Maps, November 2024]The stone-arched underpass which takes Via San Pantaleo under the railway, Luca Spinelli (2018). [Google Maps, November 2024]
The next sequence of 7 satellite images takes us to the San Antonino Halt.
This was an industrial railway in the valley of the Bisagno River (Torrent). The Binario Industriale della Val Bisagno, also known as La Ferrovia delle Gavette, was in use from 1926 until 1965. It was a standard-gauge line and was 4.7km in length.
A translation from the Italian Wikipedia site: “The area of the lower Bisagno valley was developed at the end of the nineteenth century thanks to marble works at the monumental cemetery of Staglieno and a flourishing of agriculture; the area of Marassi experienced a strong expansion at the beginning of the 20th century with:
the construction of the general fruit and vegetable market in Corso Sardegna;
the municipal stadium;
the workshops for the production of city gas with the gasometer built in the “Gavette” area of the Municipal Gas and Water Company (AMGA) located near Ponte Carrega;
the new municipal slaughterhouses in the Cà de Pitta area located in Piazzale Bligny.” [7][8]
Contracted out in 1925, the railway was built at an initial cost of about 2 million lire and served the new commercial and industrial settlements that had sprung up in the valley. [7][9]
This low definition image shows the route of the railway up the Valley of the Bisagno. It comes from a public participation brochure: ‘Trasporto Pubblico Locale in Valbisagno: un percorso di partecipazione’. [10]A schematic drawing of the route of the railway which shows the main connections to the line. [7 – translated from Italian]
“The line, single-track and not electrified, was mainly equipped with normal 36 kg/metre Vignoles rails placed on ballast, with the exception of the sections shared with road traffic, notably in Piazza Giusti and Corso Sardegna, where there were counter-rails.” [7][9]
“The track branched off from the Terralba freight yard, near Piazza Giusti, entered the Corso Sardegna, along which the general fruit and vegetable markets were located, then turned left entering Via Cagliari, reached Piazza Carloforte and continued along Via del Piano, running alongside the municipal stadium and prisons.” [8 – translated from Italian]
The Italian Wikipedia article adds a little to the information in the last paragraph. … On the Corsa Sardegna, the line was doubled to allow wagons to be left alongside the market area for loading and unloading. “After passing the market, the track crossed the road diagonally towards the Bisagno, … passing through a specially built archway in the building that, in the 21st century, houses the sports facility on Via Cagliari, through which it emerged at Corso Galliera. … Once in Piazza Carloforte, the track continued along Via del Piano, which was constructed at the same time as the railway, running alongside the municipal stadium and the prison , where trains carrying prison carriages sometimes stopped.” [7][9] The places mentioned in this paragraph appear in the images below.
“The line continued up the left bank of the Bisagno, connecting to a number of factories. 3.7 km from its southern terminus a branch to the right which immediately curved round to cross [what became] the main line, Via del Piano and River Bisagno on a reinforced concrete bridge (Ponte G. Veronelli – which stood until destroyed during the flood of 1993); after crossing the river the line entered directly into the Gas Works, crossing, at ground level, the UITE (Unione Italiana Tramvie Elettriche) tramway Line No. 12, Genoa – Prato.” [8 – translated from Italian]
Italian Wikipedia tells us that the factories mentioned above which sat between the prison and the branch to the gasworks were: a plant for the repair of railway tanks and the NU “Volpara” plant for the incineration of urban waste. [7][9]
‘Trasporto Pubblico Locale in Valbisagno: un percorso di partecipazione’ [10] included the Volpara, Gavette and Guglielmetti Workshops and municipal waste treatment facilities, in its list of concerns which benefitted from the new railway. [10]
The next series of images cover the length of the line referred to in the paragraph above.
The line continued North from the prison, on the left (East) bank of the River Bisagno. On the West side of Piazzale Marassi and then Via Rino Mandoli. [Google Maps, November 2024]Looking North on Via Rino Mandoli. [Google Streetview, August 2024]The bridge over the next length of the Bisagno connecting Via Rino Mandoli to the right bank of the river is a footbridge Ponte Staglieno. [Google Maps, November 2024]Via Rino Mandoli in the 1960s, with the railway and the river to the left. This image was shared on the C’era una volta Genova Facebook Group by Luigi Carlo Piccardo on 25th April 2018. [26]The bridge in this view looking North on Via Rino Mandoli is Ponte Staglieno. [Google Streetview, August 2024]The line continued North along the left bank of the river. [Google Maps, August 2024]The bridge in this view looking North on Lungobisagno Istria is Ponte Federico Campanella. [Google Streetview, August 2024]This next length of the River Bisagno is now culverted but was not in the days when the old railway was in use. [Google Maps, November 2024]Upstream of the culvert, the river runs East-West for a short distance. Just visible at the top of this extract from Google Maps is the Southwest corner of the cemetery. [Google Maps, August 2024]The Lungobisagno Istria passes under the gyratory at this location. The railway once ran along the line of the top of the retaining wall to the left of the underpass. [Google Streetview, August 2024]The River Bisagno looking West from alongside Luongobisagno Istria in the early 1960s. Lungobisagne Istria again, also facing West in Staglieno and taken circa. late 1960s. The old railway was still in place at that time. The image below locates this view in the 21st century. [22]A similar location in the 21st century, at the Northeast end of the underpass. Some of the buildings on the far side of the river are recognisable in both images. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Turning through 180° we again see road, river and railway curving round to the East. This is the same curve in the river bank as appears in images above. The view from the mid-20th century this time extends beyond the cemetery which appears in the images below as far as the church tower on the hill on the far side of the river. Careful inspection of the two Google Streetview images below will identify the same church on the horizon in each photograph- Chiesa di San Bartolomeo Apostolo di Staglieno which sat above and to the Northeast of the cemetery. This image was shared on the C’era una volta Genova Facebook Group by Alessandro Platone on 30th May 2019. [24]The old railway continued on the left bank of the River Bisagno at the side of Lungobisagno Istria with the cemetery on the right bank. [Google Maps, November 2024]Two views of the cemetery from Lungobisagno Istria the old railway would have been in the foreground close to the parapet wall probably where the vehicles are parked. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Jung R42C 0-6-0 Diesel Locomotive No. 2 pulling a convoy from Terralba towards Gavette in 1961. The Staglieno cemetery is in the background. [14]The old railway continued on the left bank of the river. [Google Maps, November 2024]In the 21st century, the River Bisagno is bridged by the E80 Autostrada on a high concrete viaduct. It was in this area that the branch swung away from the river bank to the East(through the wooded area, bottom-right) before turning to cross the railway line on the river wall and bridge the river on the diagonal. [Google Maps, November 2024]The E80 above the River valley. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Looking upstream along the River Bisagno towards the gasworks. The line of the railway which continues North on the left bank of the river can easily be seen. The line which arced round to cross the River to the gasworks is not visible. This image was shared on the C’era una volta Genova Facebook Group by Georgia Mellini on 15th March 2021. [28]
Italian Wikipedia also gives a description of the branch line to the gasworks: which curved in a wide arc before crossing the Via del Piano. It then “crossed the Bisagno engaging the G. Veronelli bridge, with 9 spans and 8 piers, built in reinforced concrete by the Società Italiana Chini.” [7][9]
The remaining length of the line (approximately 1 km) ran along the left bank of the river to slaughterhouses near the Falck steelworks in Cà de Pitta. [7][8][9][10] There was also a shorter-lived branch which served a cement works to the East of the river.
The head of the line! The branch serving the cement works is shown in green. [31]
The line on the left bank of the Bisagno served the Falck Steelworks (adjacent to the SS45 in the top-left of this image), and a cement works (which was located in the industrial area North of the wooded area to the bottom-right of the image. [Google Maps, November 2024 – but note that the steelworks is under redevelopment at the end of 2024]The gasworks site is off to the left of this image which looks North along the left bank of the River Bisagno. The railway ran close to the dwarf wall which acts as the parapet to the wall at the river’s edge. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Further North, the railway ran under the location of the parked vehicles at the river’s edge. [Google Streetview, August 2024]The Falck Steelworks site in 2020, seen from the right bank of the Bisagno. [Google Streetview, September 2020]
The picture of the site of the steelworks brings us to the end of our journey along this industrial railway.
It was commented at the time of the construction of the line that through “the use of this rapid and economical means of transport, the potential of the gasworks can be significantly increased, at the same time reducing the costs for the transport of coal and by-products of the works themselves by approximately 1 million lire per year. … There will also be indirect advantages since the roads along the right bank of the Bisagno, currently congested by the transit of vehicles of all kinds, with great and evident danger to public safety, will be partially cleared and consequently the maintenance costs of said roads will also be reduced. The implementation of the industrial track will also contribute profitably to transforming a large area of land, still inaccessible a few years ago, and give it a new and fruitful industrial impulse. … Not to mention that the operating, maintenance, depreciation, etc. costs will weigh on the budget of the Municipality to a minimal extent since private companies will also contribute to the maintenance costs of the railway.” [10: p18 – quoting the Genoa Magazine of 1926 – translated from Italian]
“The management of the railway line was entrusted to the Municipality through its Municipal Gas and Water Company (AMGA), which had three Breda-built steam engines and, subsequently, also a three-axle Jung R42C diesel locomotive, while the wagons were owned by the FS (Ferrovie Della Stato) which made them available to the Municipality.” [8 – translated from Italian]
Two of the three Breda-built steam locomotives owned by AMGA which worked the line. Here they are in charge of a train of fruit and veg wagons outside the market on Corso Sardegna. [7]
AMGA certainly owned two diesel locomotives which are shown below.
“Any train travelling along the line was escorted by a shunter (an operative on the ground), equipped with a red flag, and, normally, also by a traffic policeman on a cyclist or motorcyclist who had the task of stopping the traffic. Particularly spectacular were the long trains of coal wagons destined for the Officine Gas delle Gavette for the production of town (city) gas.” [8 – translated from Italian]
Italian Wikipedia tells us that “the line was decommissioned in 1965 as a result of the use of methane gas instead of town gas, thus ceasing its need for it by AMGA, now the sole user of the plant after road transport had replaced rail transport to the slaughterhouses and the market.” [7][10]
‘Telfer’ or ‘Telfere elettrico’, was a monorail railway line built in Genoa in 1914, the first of its kind built in Italy. The name was derived from the English term ‘telpher’. [1]
In this case, the ‘Telfer’ was a monorail. Examples of telphers in the UK include one at Manchester Victoria Railway Station which is described here. [6]
The term has more normally been used for the moving element of a beam crane used in warehouses or other industrial settings. [6]
Given the Telfer’s link to the English word ‘Telpher’ then strictly speaking ‘Telfer’ should be assumed to apply to the moving element of this short term transport solution in Genoa which could itself, perhaps, be considered to be a monorail.
The Telfer was installed for the Italian Colonial International Exhibition of Marine and Marine Hygiene which opened in May 1914 and closed in November of the same year. [7]
In an historical period when European powers were involved in colonial expansion. The stated aim of the Exhibition was to show the developments in the sectors of hygiene and maritime trade, but ultimately it was an opportunity for Italy to celebrate its colonial conquests! [7]
The Telfer connected Piazza di Francia (the south-eastern part of the current Piazza della Vittoria) to the Giano pier of the port, near the new Harbour Master’s Office. It was managed by UITE (Società Unione Italiana Tramways Elettrici).
The Telfer was originally intended for Milan, to connect Milan with the residential area of Milanino, approximately 8 km from the city. That project never came to fruition.
Instead, a shorter version was built in just 100 days for the Exhibition in Genoa. The Telfer entered service on 18th June 1914 and served throughout the time of the exhibition. It was later modified for the transport of goods, in particular coal, from the port to the factories located along the Bisagno. It continued to function throughout the period of the First World War but was dismantled in 1918.
Italian patents for the system were held by BBB (the Badoni Bellani Benazzoli Company of Milan). [4]
The Italian Wikipedia tells us that “the line was traversed by a single, symmetrical train, which ran on its own track formed by a beam raised from the ground, with a running rail at the top and two lateral ones for support and guidance. For the support piers, reinforced concrete was used. … The monorail beams were of an inverted T section, 85 cm wide at the base and 190 cm in height, over which Vignoles 36 kg/m rail was fixed on oak stringers. … Along the lower edges of the inverted T beams, two guides for the horizontal wheels were provided, made from L-shaped bars. … The items of rolling-stock sat astride the beam and were supported by hooded double-edged central wheels. They had lateral appendages extended downwards for the guide rollers.” [1]
“Seats were arranged in four longitudinal rows, two on each side, stacked in steps, with the backrests on the inside. Each ‘carriage’ had 38 seats and 12 standing places, or with the seats folded down a standing capacity of 80 passengers could be achieved. There were three access doors on each side. … The ‘locomotive’ had four 700 mm wheels, all powered, each connected to an AEG Thomson-Houston 40 hp 500 V engine regulated by controller as used for electric trams. The brake was compressed air with a double shoe for each wheel.” [1]
“As the driver’s position in the train was at the centre of the convoy (the locomotive was at the centre of the train), automatic safety devices were placed to stop the train at the station. The entire convoy when fully loaded carried about 350 people and weighed 80 tons. All the rolling stock was built by Carminati & Toselli of Milan.” [1]
The Route of the Telfer Monorail
A map from around 1914 (shown in full above) shows the route of the line. Segments of the line follow together with appropriate supporting images.
The Telfer’s Northeast terminus was in the southern corner of Piazza d’Armi above the River (Torrent) Bisagno, close to the Bezzecca Bridge which at the time was the first structure spanning the river North of its outfall into the Mediterranean. Piazza d’Armi became Piazza di Francia and later Piazza Della Vittoria.
Piazza Della Vittoria with its triumphal arch is at the top of this extract from Google’s satellite imagery. [Google Maps, November 2024]
The route crossed the Corso Aurelio Saffi by means of a 26 metre span skew bowstring concrete arch bridge and ran straight down the West side of the river channel on the road known as Via del Feritore at that time. The line hugged the base of the high retaining wall and, in doing so, curved round to the West.
The Telfer passed through the Stella Batterie by means of widened windows. [1][3: p103]
The line then ran straight to the landward end of Pier Giano, cutting across the stretch of water in front of the Cava baths like a viaduct. A curve as tight as 50 metre radius took the Telpher onto the pier and the line continued for some 370 metres. [1]
The entire route was just over 2.2 km in length, with an average height above ground of 4 m. Except for the short stretch on the Giano pier, which was made of wood, the route was fabricated in reinforced concrete and was supported on a total of 72 piers. A third of the piers sat directly in the sea. [1]
The route was travelled at a speed of 20-30 km/h and was completed in about seven minutes. [3] The train ran every half hour from 9:00 to 24:00, A single ticket cost 1.00 lire (about 3.70 euros today), a return ticket 1.50 lire (about 5.50 euros today), there were concessions for shareholders, military personnel, children and groups. [1][3: p99]
http://www.uwrbancenter.comune.genova.it/sites/default/files/quaderno_arch_2011_03_21.pdf, accessed on 16th November 2024, p17. …..”The first monorail in Europe: On 14th June 1914, the first monorail built in Europe was inaugurated in Genoa. It was built for the International Exhibition that occupied the area of the current Piazza della Vittoria and Via Diaze hosted numerous exhibitions set up inside pavilions designed largely by the architect Coppedè. The “Telfer elettrico” (or “suspended or aerial railway”) connected the “aerial” station, located inside the Exhibition, to the port, at Molo Giano, where the exhibition pavilion of the Consorzio Autonomo del Porto was located. The Telfer was 2227 m long and followed, approximately, the route of the current Viale Brigate Partigiane and part of the current Aldo Moro flyover: to cross the final part of Corso Aurelio Saffi a parabolic bridge with a span of 28 m was built, a true “work of art”. The Telfer consisted of a monorail suspended on wooden or concrete beams resting on triangular-shaped supports and an electric traction train that moved in both directions, placed astride the beam and composed of a central locomotive that drove two or four carriages. The carriages had a capacity of 46 seats or, alternatively, 80 standing places. The Telfer reached a maximum speed of between 20 and 30 km/h and took eight minutes to complete the entire journey. It was built in one hundred and fifty days of actual work and had seen the employment of more than six hundred workers. It could have been used, after the closing of the exhibition, for the transport of people or goods, but unfortunately the war events imposed the dismantling of the monorail and the partial reuse of the materials.”
Bibliography
Enrico Pieri, Il “Telfer” di Genova, in Strade Ferrate , n. 16, ottobre 1983, pp. 22-27.
Marco Marchisio, Il Telfer di Genova, in Tutto treno & storia, n. 14, novembre 2005, pp. 30-43.
Lorenzo Bortolin, TELFER, la monorotaia di Genova, in I Treni Oggi, n. 16, gennaio 1982, pp. 20–21.
Cornolò Ogliari, Si viaggia anche … così, Milano, Arcipelago edizioni, 2002, ISBN88-7695-228-4.
Stefano Percivale (da un progetto di), Genova com’era Genova com’è, Genova, Fratelli Frilli Editori, 2008.
Franco Rebagliati, Franco Dell’Amico, Giovanni Gallotti e Magno Di Murro, Il Telfer, in In tram da Savona a Vado 1912-1948, L. Editrice, 2012, pp. 68–71, ISBN 978-88-95955-73-5.
Massimo Minella, Il Telfer, una monorotaia sull’acqua, in 1914 – L’Esposizione Internazionale di Genova, De Ferrari, Genova, 2014, pp. 99–111. ISBN 978-88-6405-564-0.
The Principe–Granarolo rack railway (Ferrovia Principe-Granarolo) is a rack railway that connects Via del Lagaccio, near the Genoa Piazza Principe railway station, to the Granarolo hills. The line is sometimes erroneously described as a funicular. The line is managed by AMT Genova, which manages the city’s public transport. [1]
Work on the Principe–Granarolo rack railway started in 1898, and operation commenced in 1901. The line’s unusual track gauge and passing loop arrangement, both common in funiculars but rare elsewhere, have suggested to some that the line may have started life as a funicular and been converted to rack operation; however the line’s owners have dismissed this theory. [1][2][3]
The line’s cars were totally rebuilt in 1929, with new body and mechanical equipment, and the line was rebuilt in 1976. [1][3]
In 2002, Car 2 was sent away for an overhaul, but the bankruptcy of the original contractor and the involvement of a replacement in an alleged bribery scandal meant that the overhaul was not completed and the car returned to the line until March 2019. The overhaul included the replacement of the car floor, lighting, safety systems, electric drive, air conditioning and a new driver’s seat. Between 2002 and 2019, service was provided by Car 1 operating alone. AMT now plans to use the rebuilt car to double the service frequency to every 15 minutes. [1][4]
In November 2024, AMT Genova were undertaking significant maintenance work and the line was closed. On 8th November, they explained that the rack railway was “temporarily down due to an electrical problem with the motor of the upstream traction axle. The restoration activities have already started. Updates on the resumption of service will follow. … During rack downtime, the G1 replacement bus is active.” [5]
Built to 1.2 metre-gauge, the rack railway is 1,130 metres (3,710 ft) in length, and rises 194 metres (636 ft) with a maximum gradient of 21.4%. It uses the Riggenbach rack system and is electrified at 550 V DC. The single central passing loop uses fixed points, and the two cars have double-flanged wheels on one side and unflanged wheels on the other side, thus ensuring that each car keeps to its own side in the loop. [1][2]
The line serves 9 stops, including the two terminals, and, until the closure in early November 2024 for maintenance work, it operated an irregular timetable, with cars departing each terminus between every 30 and 40 minutes. [6]
A Journey Down the Line
We start at the head of the line at Granarolo. The first photograph shows Car No. 1 resting at Granarolo before its next journey South.
Roger Farnworth 
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