Yesterday, to celebrate the last journey of the Circumetnea train from the Borgo to Paternò stop (and return), it was Nunzio Condorelli of SiciliAntica who “inconvenienced” Edmondo De Amicis, who in his “Memories of a trip to Sicily” wrote: “It is when you look out of the window of the moving train (at the time it was still the steam train, ed.) and you understand that the most beautiful thing about the journey is to lower the glass, lean out and admire one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, while the train of the Circumetnea Railway goes the tour of the highest volcano in Europe clanking and emitting that almost voiceless whistle near the guarded and unattended level crossings, the most remote stations and toll booths”. The doubt of SiciliAntica remains the fate of the railway line which will no longer be used from tomorrow.
To tell the truth, the one in SiciliAntica, with dozens of people leaving from the Borgo to arrive in Randazzo and return around 5pm, was not the only “demonstration trip” yesterday. In the morning the “Salvaciclisti” association had also organized a group leaving at 8, on “the last day of service of the train before the suspension of trains between Catania and Paternò”.
The Circumetnea remains
Because, in the end, it wasn’t a real goodbye: from tomorrow the “littorina” will in fact remain on the most evocative route praised by De Amicis, the one that from Paternò crosses Biancavilla, Bronte, Maletto, Randazzo, Solicchiata, Linguaglossa, Piedimonte Etneo, Mascali, Giarre and Riposto.
From Catania to Paternò, however, we had to give in to modernity and the need for rapid and efficient public transport. Even if, in fact, everything is still “work in progress”.
The Metro
Yes, because today the metro line starts from Stesicoro, passes the Giovanni XXIII, Galatea, Italia and Giuffrida stops and arrives in Borgo, and from here it travels underground through the same stops that the train has always traveled on the surface: Milo, Cibali, San Null and Nesima. The opening of the Fontana stops (useful for those who have to reach the Garibaldi hospital in Nesima) and Monte Po is expected by the end of June. But the planned extension of the underground line from Monte Po to Misterbianco, and from Misterbianco to Paternò is still in progress starting construction site (the first) and with construction site recently started (the second). Users will not be left without alternatives: from tomorrow the train service on the Catania-Paternò route will be suspended, but replaced with buses also made available by Fce and which will arrive, for now, at the Nesima underground stop. As soon as Fontana and Monte Po open, which have adequate spaces for parking buses, the arrival will be brought forward further.
History
History, in any case, will not be erased. After all, it never happened. «Today – Salvo Fiore, Fce general director, confides to us – we have an exhibition space with historic cars in Bronte. We don’t rule out opening one in Catania too. One thing is certain, we must move towards the future and optimize the transport system, making it as integrated as possible.”
The doubt about what will become of the long route that is currently closed is soon revealed: «The abandoned part – explains the CEO – we will return to the State Property Office. The Municipalities on which the route is located will therefore be able to request a concession for use to carry out its redevelopment, also to mend in certain points the urban fabric currently separated by the tracks; the ideal would be to allocate the route to a linear system of soft mobility”.
Not a remote hypothesis, far from it, so much so that yesterday on the last afternoon trip Mike Icks, Mobility manager of the Municipality of Misterbianco, was also present: «This is a gigantic step for sustainable mobility. Along the route of the old disused Circum, a cycle/pedestrian path will be designed for all micromobility, pedestrians, bicycles, scooter bikes and electric scooters. The objective is to reduce car traffic and move increasingly towards sustainable mobility.”
