| Vatican Railway | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Vatican City railway station with goods wagons, and showing iron gates closed | |||
| Overview | |||
| Native name | Ferrovia Vaticana | ||
| Status | Operational | ||
| Owner | Holy See | ||
| Locale | Vatican City andItaly | ||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 1 | ||
| Service | |||
| System | Holy See railway | ||
| Operator(s) | Ferrovie dello Stato | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | 1934 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 0.68 kilometres (0.42 mi) | ||
| Track length | 1.19 kilometres (0.74 mi) | ||
| Number of tracks | 1–2 | ||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge | ||
| Electrification |
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| Highest elevation | 38 metres (125 ft) | ||
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TheVatican Railway (Italian:Ferrovia Vaticana) was opened in 1934 to serveVatican City and its only station,Vatican City (Città del Vaticano[tʃitˈtaddelvatiˈkaːno], orStazione Vaticana[statˈtsjoːnevatiˈkaːna]). The mainrail tracks arestandard gauge and 300 metres (980 ft) long, with twofreight sidings, making it the shortest nationalrailway system in the world.[1] Access to theItalian rail network is over a viaduct toRoma San Pietro railway station, and is guaranteed by theLateran Treaty dating from 1929. The tracks and station were constructed during the reign ofPope Pius XI, shortly after the treaty.
Beginning in 2015, one passenger service runs each Saturday morning with passengers forCastel Gandolfo.Most other rail traffic consists of inbound freight goods, although the railway has occasionally carried other passengers, usually for symbolic or ceremonial reasons.[2][3]
Pope Gregory XVI (died 1846) prevented the construction of railways in thePapal States, and was reputed to have said "chemin de fer, chemin d'enfer" ("road of iron, road of hell").[4] Gregory XVI's successor,Pope Pius IX, began the construction of a rail line fromBologna toAncona but the territory was seized by the armies of theKingdom of Sardinia in 1860 before it was completed.[5] The utility of rail travel for the masspilgrimages of the 19th century, beginning with those atLourdes circa 1858, was one factor that softened opposition to such technology within theRoman Curia.[6]
Pius IX's official train was hauled by steam locomotives, with the first such locomotive used to transport him being a Planet-type locomotive.[7] The first journey of his train was on July 3, 1859, from Porta Maggiore station to Cecchina. This train was a significant part of Pius IX's promotion of a railway network in the Papal States. The train included three carriages: a "Balconata" for papal blessings, a Throne Room with a private apartment for the pope, and a Chapel Carriage. The Throne Room and Chapel Carriage were decorated with papal colors, gold, silver, and depictions of the pope blessing infrastructure, according to Turismo Roma.
The construction of a railway station in Vatican City and its linkage to theItalian rail lines was guaranteed by theLateran Treaty of 11 February 1929. The Directorate of New Railway Construction of the Ministry of Public Works of the Kingdom of Italy implemented this provision with construction beginning on 3 April 1929, to establishearthworks 38 m abovesea level (the height of theRoma San Pietro railway station) betweenPiazza Santa Marta and theGovernor's Palace, Vatican.[8] The construction of the viaduct leading to Vatican City was paid for by the Italian government; the station within Vatican City was financed from the₤750 million indemnity agreed to in the Lateran Treaty's financial section.[9] The total cost of construction was reported to be₤24 million.[10]
The station building (see below) was constructed between 1929 and 1933.
The first locomotive entered Vatican City in March 1932. The station was opened officially on 2 October 1934.[11] A Railway Convention was ratified between Italy and Vatican City on 12 September 1934, on which date the property passed from Ferrovie dello Stato (Italian State Railways) to the Holy See. In October 1934 the Ministry of Public Works gave the completed rail lines to Vatican City and Ferrovie dello Stato, respectively. Legge sulle fonti del diritto (7 June 1929) made Italian railway legislation binding on Vatican-controlled railways.
In late March 1944, during the alliedbombing of Rome in World War II, Vatican City discovered aGerman munitions train parked on the line by the Vatican City railway station.[12] The railway station was the only building in the Vatican to be hit during the Second World War.[13]
Pope John XXIII, on 4 October 1962, became the first pope to use the Vatican railway during his pilgrimage toLoreto andAssisi one week before the beginning ofSecond Vatican Council using the Italian presidential train; the trip was broadcast on theEurovision Network. Prior to John's trip in 1962,Pope Pius IX had been both the last pope to visit Loreto (as the head of the Papal States) and the last pope to travel by train.[5] John XXIII also arranged for the major relics ofPope Pius X to be transferred to Venice using the Vatican railway.[8]
Pope John Paul II used the railway a few times for symbolic purposes, as early as 8 November 1979, but did not use the railway to leaveRome until 24 January 2002.[8]
On 21 May 2011, a special train ran from Vatican City station to commemorate the 60th anniversary ofCaritas.[14][15]Pope Benedict XVI used the railway for a pilgrimage toAssisi on 27 October 2011.[16]
On 18 April 2013, theTurin Group of Train Friends (Gruppo Amici del Treno Torino) departed on a rail tour fromRoma Ostiense railway station to arrive into Vatican City station using twoALn 776 rail cars belonging to Seatrain, which also performed a shunt into the tunnel, then departed with three goods wagons.[17][18][19]
Pope Francis's desire to open the Church's treasures to the public has resulted in a weekly special train from Vatican City Station that is open to the public and is provided by theVatican Museums and theItalian railway. In 2015, this train tour opened to tourists for the first time.[20][13]
TheVatican City railway station (inItalian,Stazione Città del Vaticano orStazione Vaticana) is the onlyrailway station of the Vatican Railway. It was built approximately 20 metres (65 ft 7 in) from the Entrance Gateway and designed by architectGiuseppe Momo.[8] Construction began on 3 April 1929, and the station began operation in 1933.[8] Its simple white, Italianmarble design was described by writerH. V. Morton as "more like a branch of theBarclay Bank in London."[1] The station building is composed of white marble, and its dimensions are 61 by 21.5 metres (200 ft 2 in × 70 ft 6 in). The central body is 16.85 metres (55 ft 3 in) tall and the lateral ones 5.95 metres (19 ft 6 in) tall.[21] Part of the station building continues in use as passenger station and goods (rail freight) office, whilst part now houses the Vatican numismatic and philatelic museum.[22]
The railway station also houses the small Vatican duty-free department store, a private facility open only to Vatican subjects and diplomats.[22][13]
The Vatican City State Railway branches off from the Rome to Viterbo railway line at theRoma San Pietro railway station and crosses Gelsomino valley via a 143.12-metre (469 ft 7 in) long masonryviaduct of eight 15.30-metre (50 ft 2 in) arches (bearing thefasces and the Savoy coat of arms), which crosses Viale Vaticano (which it interrupts) andVia Aurelia.[8]
The single-track section of the route up until the border was subsequently fitted with overhead electric line. The first 100 metres of overhead line is always supplied with 3000 V DC, with the remainder of the distance only energised as needed.[23]
Before passing through the Vatican City walls and terminating in the Vatican City railway station, the line passes under an arch decorated with the coat of arms ofPope Pius XI with a two-piece 35.5-ton iron gate which slides into the recesses of the Vatican walls.[1][8][24] The gate is closed when there is no traffic scheduled on the line.
The railway has twotracks (partly located in Rome, outside the gateway), but only one is served by a station platform. Two dead-end loading tracks, forfreight wagons, are situated on the northwest side of the building. They are connected to the main track that ends in aheadshunt in a straight tunnel under the hillside.
The station is near theVatican Gardens, behindSt. Peter's Basilica. Other buildings near the station are theGovernatorate Palace and theDomus Sanctae Marthae. The gateway separating the station from rail track in Italian territory is an opening in theLeonine Wall.
The Vatican railway has been used primarily for importing goods. Extensive freight operations were witnessed before road transport became more common and less expensive. Although the volume has decreased, there are still regular freight services into the Vatican.[25]
There have been intermittent periods of ordinary passenger train operation into the Vatican,[25] but in contemporary use the Vatican City station has only had regularly scheduled passenger service trains since 2015.
A weekly special passenger train operates, provided by theVatican Museums and theItalian railway. A special train for invited guests and media reporters inaugurated the run on 11 September 2015. This inaugural train was hauled byFS Class 625 steam locomotive 625-017, built in 1915. The same engine was used by the Italian royal family, and also hauled the train which carriedPope John XXIII to Loreto and Assisi in 1962. The regular service has operated every Saturday since 12 September 2015, with visitors to the Vatican Museums boarding a train to travel to thePontifical Villas in Castel Gandolfo.[26] Scheduled trains usecontemporary suburban rolling stock to travel from Vatican City railway station to Albano Laziale, via Castel Gandolfo.[27] At the station visitors can tour the newly created museum and pontifical gardens, and visit the town. The tour returns the same afternoon, terminating one stop to the south at Roma San Pietro.[27][28]
Pope Pius XI's planned papal train was never constructed, and theVatican City State has never employed any railway workers or registered anyrolling stock.[8] All locomotives, carriages, and wagons (including those which currently convey goods into the Vatican) belong to the Italian Railways (FS).
In 2007, Fiat donated aNew Holland Agriculture tractor to the Pope.[29] The tractor is normally parked at the end of the station platform, where it can be used for shunting duties instead of a locomotive.[30]
Pius IX's official train from the time of thePapal States remains on display at theMuseum of Rome, housed in thePalazzo Braschi.[5]
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Detto binario, denominato "Asta Vaticana", è elettrificato per un tratto di circa 100 metri regolarmente segnalato sul terreno mentre il restante tratto è alimentabile tramite apposito sezionatore aereo normalmente in posizione di "APERTO" e la cui chiave è in consegna al D.M.
el texto sobre "la Ferrovia Vaticana" "El tren de Pio IX" , han sido tomados de un articulo de Samuel F. Perea, insertado en el boletin de la AAFM
