L’AQUILA – The initiative promoted by the Italian Railway Network and the youth cultural association Riattivati was held on 1 June at the L’Aquila station as part of the project to valorise the ‘Central Italy Railway’, made possible thanks to the contribution of Fai – Italian Environment Fund ETS and Intesa Sanpaolo for ‘I Luoghi del Cuore’.
In the stations of the Abruzzo capital and Rieti, with which a video connection was made, two of the sixteen information panels were unveiled for the occasion and will be positioned in as many locations.
The main objective of the program is the territorial valorisation of the stations along the route of the railway route, through the installation of multilingual technological devices with a QR code applied, to benefit from further information on an online landing page dedicated to the reference station. This is in order to promote knowledge of the municipalities and encourage visitors to discover the area.
For each station involved in the program, a panel unveiling date has been planned with the following calendar:
Rieti – L’Aquila: 1/06/24; Sulmona: 15/06/24; Terni: 06/22/24; Antrodoco Center: 6/07/24; Marmore: 07/20/24; Pratola Peligna: 3/08/24; Antrodoco-Borgo Velino: 24/08/24; Raiano: 09/07/24; Castel Sant’Angelo: 09/21/24; Molina: 5/10/24; Cittaducale: 9/11/24; S. Demetrio De’ Vestini: 23/11/24; Contigliano: 7/12/24; Paganica: 12/14/24; Greccio: 21/12/24.
The route of the central Italian railway
From the State Railways website. “Starting from Sulmona and passing through L’Aquila, Rieti and Terni, the Central Italian Railway winds 163.6 kilometers longreaching a maximum altitude of 989 meters in Sella di Corno and crossing territories of the highest naturalistic value such as the Peligna valley and the gorges of San Venanzio and cultural as the plateau of Rocca di Cornowhere it is still practiced transhumance. Inaugurated in 1883, the Central Italian Railway played a crucial role for commuters moving from towns to cities until the advent of road transport after the Second World War.
The line is currently affected by works to strengthen and improve efficiency even in sections where there is no electrified line. The line remains an important connection route for passenger transport, with connections crossing three regions: Abruzzo, Lazio and Umbria, touching over 30 active stations, with strong development potential for slow tourism. The valorisation of the Central Italian Railway leads to a new way of traveling and practice gentler, slower tourism through lesser-known villages and territories. The redevelopment project of the Central Italian Railway is part of the broader commitment of the Italian Railway Network for the redevelopment of over 600 stations overall the national territory with an Integrated Station Plan (PIS) which includes both the stations of the large centers and the medium-small ones of particular importance in relation to the multiple requests expressed by the community and institutional stakeholders”.
