| Naples–Portici | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Inauguration of the Naples–Portici railway, bySalvatore Fergola | |||
| Overview | |||
| Native name | Napoli–Portici (Italian) Napule–Puortece (Neapolitan) | ||
| Locale |  Italy (Naples) | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | first railway in Italy | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | 1839; 186 years ago (1839) | ||
| Naples (Bayard) | 1839–1891 | ||
| Naples Porta Nolana | from 1891 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 7.25 kilometres (4.5 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) | ||
| |||
TheNaples–Portici railway (Italian:ferrovia Napoli–Portici) was the first Italianrailway line, built by the Bayard Company and opened in 1839. It now forms part of theNaples–Salerno line.
The initial line was a double track of 7.25 kilometres (4.5 mi). It ran from the current site of Corso Garibaldi inNaples to theRoyal Palace of Portici, at the foot ofMount Vesuvius, now used by the Faculty of Agriculture of theUniversity of Naples Federico II.
A Frenchman promoted the line, Armand Bayard de la Vingtrie, who received a concession to build it in February 1837 from KingFerdinand II of the Two Sicilies. The concession authorised Bayard to build a railway from the current location ofNapoli Centrale railway station outside the old walls of Naples along theBay of Naples toNocera Inferiore on theSorrentine Peninsula, a distance of 35.8 kilometres (22.2 mi), with possible extensions toSalerno andAvellino, both through mountainous country. The line was built of wrought iron rails mounted on large cubic stone sunk into the ground (as wooden sleepers used to distribute weights had not been invented), and the gauge was maintained occasionally with transverse bars.
Threesteam locomotives were imported fromLongridge and Co of England: two2-2-2 locomotives for passenger traffic,Bayard andVesuvio, and one locomotive for goods traffic;rolling stock was built locally. The king opened the first 7.25 kilometres (4.5 mi) of the line from Naples to Portici on 3 October 1839. By the end of 1839, it had carried 131,116 passengers. It was extended toCastellammare di Stabia in 1842 and Nocera in 1844.[1]
