Regional Bus and Rail Company of Canton Ticino
Encyclopedia
The FART provides the urban and suburban bus network of Locarno
, Switzerland
, operates the cable cars between Verdasio and Rasa, and between Intragna – Pila – Costa on behalf of the owning companies, and, together with the Italian company Società Subalpina di Imprese Ferroviarie S.p.A. (SSIF) the Centovalli and Vigezzina Railway which connects the Gotthard trans-Alpine rail route at Locarno railway station
with the Simplon trans-Alpine route at Domodossola
, Italy
. There are 10 stations on the Swiss side of the frontier and 12 stations on the Italian side, the complete rail journey taking approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.
A formal request for the licensing of a rail network was made by the mayor of Locarno, Francesco Balli, in 1898, but although construction of the Centovalli Railway was begun in May 1913, the collapse of the financing bank later that year, together with the intervention of the First World War
meant that construction was not resumed until August 1921, with the line being constructed from each end and meeting on 27 March 1923 and public service being inaugurated on 25 November 1923. On 12 November 1918 Italy and Switzerland had signed a contract about
the construction of a narrow gauge railway Locarno - Domodossola
. This contract fixed the cross acceptance of Italian vehicles in Switzerland and vice versa without needing a second approval.
As well as an important public service, the route of the railway is extremely scenic and the route is popular with tourists.
9 articulated railcars from 1959-68, three-element ABe 8/8 21-24 and two-element ABe or ABDe 6/6 31-35 can not work in MU but can pull a trailer or two (101...111 and 201 from 1923, 120-123 from 1964, 130 from 1948).
2004 SSIF ordered three three-car panoramic multiple units from the Officine Ferroviaire Veronesi and Skoda. Soon the order was changed to three four-car trains. Delivery took place in 2007.
Classifications ABe and Be don't match with classes available in every vehicle. In July 2008 the following consists were working:
Off-season these consists may be reduced to three vehicles. As a replacement SSIF had ABe 8/8 24 fitted with a new cabody, looking very similar to the new trains. However, number of seats is much smaller than in a new train, thus it must be followed by an ABe 4/6 to allow to transport all passengers.
Locarno
Locarno is the capital of the Locarno district, located on the northern tip of Lake Maggiore in the Swiss canton of Ticino, close to Ascona at the foot of the Alps. It has a population of about 15,000...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, operates the cable cars between Verdasio and Rasa, and between Intragna – Pila – Costa on behalf of the owning companies, and, together with the Italian company Società Subalpina di Imprese Ferroviarie S.p.A. (SSIF) the Centovalli and Vigezzina Railway which connects the Gotthard trans-Alpine rail route at Locarno railway station
Locarno railway station
Locarno railway station serves the city of Locarno, in the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland. However, the station is located within the adjacent municipality of Muralto, near the shore of Lake Maggiore...
with the Simplon trans-Alpine route at Domodossola
Domodossola
Domodossola is a city and comune in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in the region of Piedmont, northern Italy...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. There are 10 stations on the Swiss side of the frontier and 12 stations on the Italian side, the complete rail journey taking approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.
A formal request for the licensing of a rail network was made by the mayor of Locarno, Francesco Balli, in 1898, but although construction of the Centovalli Railway was begun in May 1913, the collapse of the financing bank later that year, together with the intervention of the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
meant that construction was not resumed until August 1921, with the line being constructed from each end and meeting on 27 March 1923 and public service being inaugurated on 25 November 1923. On 12 November 1918 Italy and Switzerland had signed a contract about
the construction of a narrow gauge railway Locarno - Domodossola
Domodossola–Locarno railway
The Domodossola-Locarno railway or 'Centovallina' is a metre-gauge railway between Domodossola, Italy and Locarno, Switzerland. It passes through the famous village of Intragna and carried over 1 million passengers in 2010. It is operated by the Ferrovie Autolinee Regionali Ticinesi in Switzerland...
. This contract fixed the cross acceptance of Italian vehicles in Switzerland and vice versa without needing a second approval.
As well as an important public service, the route of the railway is extremely scenic and the route is popular with tourists.
Rolling stock
Traffic on the Centovallina and Vigezzina is fully in the hand of electric motor coaches. A series of 12 articulated EMUs ABe 4/6, built in 1992 by Vevey Technologies made up most through workings until 2007, often working in pairs. 8 ABe 4/6 51-58 are owned by FART, 4 ABe 4/6 61–64 by SSIF.9 articulated railcars from 1959-68, three-element ABe 8/8 21-24 and two-element ABe or ABDe 6/6 31-35 can not work in MU but can pull a trailer or two (101...111 and 201 from 1923, 120-123 from 1964, 130 from 1948).
2004 SSIF ordered three three-car panoramic multiple units from the Officine Ferroviaire Veronesi and Skoda. Soon the order was changed to three four-car trains. Delivery took place in 2007.
- Driving motor, Domodossola direction: ABe 4/4 Pp 81, 83, 85
- Driving motor, Locarno direction: Be 4/4 Pp 82, 84, 86
- Non-driving motor: Be 4/4 Pi 87, 88, 89
- Trailer: Rimorchiata P 810, 811, 812
Classifications ABe and Be don't match with classes available in every vehicle. In July 2008 the following consists were working:
- 85 - 812 - 89 - 86 1st class at the Locarno end (whole coach 86)
- 83 - 87 - 810 - 82 1st class at the Domodossola end (coach 83)
- 81 - 88 - 811 - 84 1st class at both ends (end compartment of coaches 81 and 84)
Off-season these consists may be reduced to three vehicles. As a replacement SSIF had ABe 8/8 24 fitted with a new cabody, looking very similar to the new trains. However, number of seats is much smaller than in a new train, thus it must be followed by an ABe 4/6 to allow to transport all passengers.