compiled by Alan de Burton with additional material by Gregory Beecroft.
Most, but not all, of the material appeared in the rinbad newsletter during March and April 2002.

1] The city of Napoli has developed a varied, but uncoordinated railway system. Competing lines follow the coast east and west from the centre, but the northern suburbs are poorly served. Various rail projects around Napoli are partly built, but progress with most is delayed by financial and other problems. Though full details of FS trains are given in the FS timetable In Treno and also in the Pozzorario Generale, public transport in Napoli is generally noteworthy for the minimal provision of information, such as maps and timetables, and these notes attempt to fill the gap.

2] Crime warning: Potential visitors to Napoli are warned that violent street-crime, as distinct from pickpocketing or opportunist theft, seems to have become common in the city. Several railtour participants in early 2002 were assaulted as well as robbed.

3] Ferrovie dello Stato: north-south main lines: When Ferrovie dello Stato were formed in 1905, they took over from predecessor companies quite a simple system in the Napoli area, essentially comprising the Roma - Cassino - Napoli and Napoli - Portici - Ercolano - Torre Annunziata - Salerno main lines, both serving what is today Napoli Centrale terminus. The Portici - Ercolano section included Italy's first railway, opened by the King of Naples in 1839. The new FS soon began building a more direct route from the capital (Roma - Latina - Formia - Villa Literno - Aversa - Napoli Centrale), completed in 1927 and originally steam-operated, though electrified at the Italian standard 3000V dc from 1935. At the Napoli end, this line forks at Villa Literno, the main route running round the north of the city while the other fork via Pozzuoli Solfatara (see below) takes a more southerly route.

4] In early 2002 yet another Roma - Napoli route, the Alta Velocità high-speed line, was in the later stages of construction. Not shown in the 1993 Ball atlas but partly in place by 1995 is some 20km of double-track electrified line, at present freight-only, starting from San Maria Capua Vetere and running south of Caserta to a triangular junction west of Cancello. Part of this line will become part of the Alta Velocità curving towards Napoli Centrale. Another arm of the Alta Velocità, heading for the south, ends at a new junction, Bivio Sarno, already in place on the (Napoli -) Sarno - Nocera (- Salerno) line, itself realigned c.1992 (and not shown in Ball). Just east of Nocera Superiore station, this new Sarno - Nocera alignment feeds directly into the line through the 10.2km Santa Lucia tunnel, opened in 1977 to bypass the steeply-graded Nocera Inferiore - Nocera Superiore - Vietri sul Mare-Amalfi - Salerno section, still served by local trains.

5] FS Metropolitana Linea 2: Villa Literno - Pozzuoli Solfatara - Napoli Piazza Amadeo - Montesanto - Piazza Cavour - Napoli Piazza Garibaldi - Napoli Gianturco From Pozzuoli Solfatara via the four-platform through station beneath Napoli Centrale, separately entitled Napoli Piazza Garibaldi, to terminal bay-platforms at Napoli Gianturco, much of this FS line, now known as Metropolitana Linea 2, is in tunnel. Since its opening in 1925-27 it has always had a frequent local service, worked electrically, 750V dc third-rail originally, 3000V dc overhead since 1935. The platforms at the Napoli intermediate stations of Piazza Amadeo, Montesanto and Piazza Cavour are all at deep level, and approached by long escalators. Services are worked by a batch of four-car Class ALe724 electric units with half the usual number of seats but extra standing-room. Some main-line FS trains also work through from Villa Literno by this route, thus avoiding reversal at Centrale, but pathing between Metropolitana trains and restricted platform lengths clearly impose limitations, notably at Piazza Garibaldi.

6] Ferrovia Alifana: (Napoli Centrale FS -) San Maria Capua Vetere FS - Piedimonte Matese: The Ferrovia Alifana began as a 950mm-gauge 11kV 25Hz electric railway opened in 1913 by Compagnia delle Ferrovie del Mezzogiorno d'Italia from their own Napoli terminus (Napoli Piazza Carlo III - San Maria Capua Vetere Biforcazione - Capua). A 1913-14 branch (San Maria Capua Vetere Biforcazione - Piedimonte d'Alife) may never have been electrified, and closed 1944 because of war damage. San Maria Capua Vetere - Capua, the short outer section, paralleled by an FS line, also closed 1944. In the 1950s the remaining Alifana line seems to have been slightly cut back at the Napoli end to a terminus at Scalo Merci. Narrow-gauge operations ceased in 1976.

7] In 1963 the long-closed 42km branch to Piedimonte d'Alife, now Piedimonte Matese, was diverted at the junction end, regauged to standard, and reopened with diesel traction. Alifana trains now run from Napoli Centrale over FS to San Maria Capua Vetere FS station, then take the 1963 diversion on to their own single-track branch to terminate at Piedimonte Matese, next the Alifana depot and works. Though the line is being electrified, progress since the late 1990s has been slow. (A 3000V dc electric set purchased for the Alifana line was temporarily housed, unused, at Benevento Appia FBN depot in early 2002.

8] Ferrovia Benevento-Napoli: (Napoli Centrale FS -) Cancello FS - Benevento Appia - Benevento FS: Opened with steam traction in 1910 and electrified at the Italian standard 3000V dc in 1959, the 48km single-track Ferrovia Cancello-Benevento, later Ferrovia Benevento-Napoli, is now part of Ferrovia Alifana e Benevento Napoli (http://www.alifana.it). FBN trains operate from Napoli Centrale over the FS to Cancello, then from Cancello FS over the FBN to Benevento Centrale FS. FBN's depot and works are on their own line at Benevento Appia, one station south of Benevento Centrale. The FBN route is also used by one FS train-pair running Napoli - Cancello - Benevento - Campobasso.

9] SEPSA lines: Napoli - Torregaveta: From Napoli Montesanto FS station an unsignposted walk of some 100m through a narrow and insalubrious side-street brings one to a four-platform station partly in tunnel, the Montesanto terminus of Società per l'Esercizio di Pubblici Servizi who operate two distinct standard-gauge rail routes thence to Torregaveta, on the coast west of Napoli, using electric units whose livery is in effect overall graffiti. Both lines are in tunnel for several kilometres from Montesanto. The direct southerly route, the 20km Ferrovia Cumana (Napoli Montesanto SEPSA - Napoli Bagnoli - Pozzuoli - Pozzuoli Arco Felice - Torregaveta), opened with steam traction 1889-90, was electrified at 1500V dc in 1927 and converted to the standard Italian 3000V dc in 1960. Originally nearly all single-track, it is gradually being doubled, a major task in view of the numerous tunnels. In early 2002 the double track in use was almost entirely west of Arco Felice, involving a completely new alignment through Bacoli Baia. Trains run every 20 minutes to Torregaveta, journey-time 39 minutes, and extra Montesanto - Bagnoli short workings run Mon-Sat. A link between the SEPSA and FS systems at Bagnoli does not appear to see regular use.

10] The more northerly c.25km Ferrovia Circumflegrea (Napoli Montesanto SEPSA - Napoli Soccavo - Pozzuoli Quarto - Pozzuoli Quarto Officine - Pozzuoli Licola - Marina di Licola - Torregaveta) opened in 1962-68 as a 3000V dc single track from Montesanto west to Marina di Licola on the coast, and in early 2002 was being doubled from Montesanto to Quarto, just short of SEPSA's works at Quarto Officine. The north-to-south Marina di Licola - Torregaveta section through the coastal sand-dunes did not see completion till after 1980. Montesanto - Licola trains run every 20 minutes, journey-time 34 minutes. Only six workings a day each way cover the Licola - Torregaveta section, some through from Montesanto, others requiring a change of train at Licola, journey-time 47 minutes. According to diagrams on display at Montesanto, a new SEPSA branch is to be built from Napoli Soccavo south-west to Cinthia.

11] Circumvesuviana lines: Napoli - Baiano / Sarno / Sorrento: Trains of the 132km 950mm-gauge Circumvesuviana system serving the area east and south of Mount Vesuvius run from their own terminus, called Napoli Stazione Terminale on the station signboards, but simply Napoli in timetables. With 13 platforms, this may be the biggest narrow-gauge terminus in Europe. All trains pass through Napoli Collegamento FS (collegamento = connection, for interchange can be made here with FS trains at Napoli Centrale/Piazza Garibaldi). Most of the Circumvesuviana was built 1884-1904 as single track with steam traction, and electrified 1905-36, the voltage being eventually standardised at 1500V dc. The electrified Torre Annunziata - Sorrento branch opened 1936-48. The short, mostly underground, Pomigliano d'Arco - Alfa Lancia 2 - Alfa Lancia 4 branch opened 1977, with stations close to gates #2 and 4 into the formerly Alfa Sud, now Alfa Lancia, car-factory. Circumvesuviana publicity says this branch is to be extended to the town of Acerra, but in February 2002 no sign of construction could be seen at the present terminus beneath an Alfa Lancia workforce car-park. With intensive peak commuter traffic the efficient Circumvesuviana is Italy's busiest narrow-gauge railway and deploys 118 three-car articulated electric units, as well as 206 buses. The company also run the summer-only Castellammare di Stabia - Monte Faito funivia (= aerial cable-car).

12] The original Circumvesuviana alignments are beset with level-crossings, and the system is being extensively upgraded. In February 2002 the Napoli - Casalnuovo - Pomigliano d'Arco - Scisciano - Saviano - Nola - Baiano line had ambitious works under way, including a completely new alignment from Napoli north-east to Casalnuovo, running to the south rather than the north of the FS Napoli - Cancello main line. Beyond Casalnuovo 15km of route had already been upgraded, running almost entirely on continuous concrete viaduct to Pratola. Double track was shortly to be available all the way from Napoli to a point between Scisciano and Saviano. The Napoli - Barra - San Giorgio a Cremano - Ercolano - Torre Annunziata Oplonti - Pompei Villa del Misteri - Sorrento line had double track all the way out to Pompei Villa del Misteri. The Napoli - Barra - Ponticelli - Cercola - Poggiomarino - Sarno line has double-track out to Cercola.

13] On 12 February 2001 the Circumvesuviana opened the 10km Casalnuovo - Volla - San Giorgio a Cremano chord, largely in tunnel and not shown in the 1993 Ball atlas, linking their Baiano line to the Sorrento one, with both junctions facing away from Napoli. The intermediate stations on the new line are mostly underground, but Volla, the first station south of Casalnuovo, is on the surface, and the not-yet-opened Napoli - Casalnuovo double-track alignment can be seen here diverging towards Napoli. Circumvesuviana publicity suggests a triangle is planned near Volla, eventually offering an alternative route for trains from Napoli to San Giorgio and on to Torre Annunziata Oplonti and Sorrento. In early 2002 the service on the temporarily single-track line was mainly provided by a single train-set shuttling back and forth, advertised only at the stations served, and not shown either in the national timetables or on the normal Circumvesuviana wall-posters. (http://www.vesuviana.it)

14] Metropolitana Collinare or Linea 1: (Garibaldi/Stazione Centrale FS -) Dante - Museo/Cavour - Vanvitelli - Colli Aminei - Piscinola-Scampia (- NAP Capodichino Aeroporto - Garibaldi/Stazione Centrale FS): Dante station and the 0.5km Dante - Museo section of Line 1 were to open 27 March 2002. The pedestrian tunnel connecting Museo station on Line 1 with Cavour station on Line 2 (the Metropolitana FS) is to open in early May 2002. (http://web.tiscalinet.it/defalco_ivanoe/trasporti/net/index.html) Line 1 is to be extended eventually to form a ring line serving both the main-line station and the airport. (http://www.metropla.net)

15] Metropolitana Linea 6: Municipio - Mergellina - Mostra-Campei Flagrei: In early 2002 this 5.8km 'ghost' line, to be known as Metropolitana Linea 6, was still far from ready to operate, though the Fuorigrotta - Mergellina section seems to have been completed as long ago as 1990-92 as part of a scheme for a Linea Tranviaria Rapida, subsequently aborted. At least some of the 18 light-rail cars were delivered by AnsaldoBreda c.1992 and are stored in the unfinished tunnels. Some details can be found in English on the rolling-stock manufacturers' website http://www.ansaldobreda.it.

16] Funiculars: Napoli is very hilly, and has four funicular railways, three of which are operated by ATAN, the city bus and tram company. All are electrically-operated, with automatic doors to control access to the platforms. From east to west the first is the Funicolare di Montesanto. The upper half of this line is in tunnel and there is an intermediate station at Corso Vittorio Emanuele, just downhill from the passing-loop. Two pairs of cars normally operate every 10 minutes. Length is 825m, height 168m. The lower station is adjacent to Montesanto SEPSA terminus. The length and height of the Funicolare Centrale are not shown at the stations, but this is the longest of the funiculars, and by far the grandest. The large and magnificent upper station would not disgrace a main line railway. There are two symmetrically-located intermediate stations. Apart from a short section at the upper end, the whole line is in tunnel. Particularly large cars are used, and due to the length of the line cannot operate more frequently than every 12 minutes. The lower station is not far from the tram-stop in Via Ferdinando Acton. The Funicolare di Chiaia is mostly in tunnel, and has two symmetrically-located intermediate stations. Pairs of cars are used, to the same design as those on the Montesanto funicular. Stations are being rebuilt, and only one platform is in use at each, but the state of the works suggest that this has been under way quite a long time. The funicular operates every 10 minutes. Length is 498m, height 142m. The intermediate stop at Corso Vittorio Emanuele is close to Piazza Amedeo FS station. The Funicolare di Mergellina is operated by Gestione Commisariale Regionale Funicolare Mergellina-Posillipo Alt. The lower half of the line is in tunnel and there are three intermediate stations, the centre one being at the passing-loop. The funicular operates every 15 minutes, but this seems to be more a function of demand than the length of the line. The lower station is a short walk from Mergellina FS station and the tram-stop in Via Mergellina. The upper stations of the three ATAN funiculars are all quite close together, near to Vanvitelli metro station. Bus C31 operates between Vanvitelli and the upper station of the Mergellina funicular. The cable car to Posillipo has been dismantled.

17] Trams and trolleybuses: Azienda Napolitana Mobilità's city tram system, reduced in December 2000 to three routes, was still operating these in early 2002: #1 Piazza Vittoria - Poggioreale; #4 Piazza Vittoria - Sperone; and #29 Poggioreale - Sperone. The cars are pre-World War II vehicles, twice rebodied, but new low-floor cars (and minor route-extensions) are said to be planned. ANM also run one of the city's two separate filobus (= trolleybus) systems, whose couple of routes were re-equipped in 2000 with new AnsaldoBreda bi-modal (= electro-diesel) rigid-wheelbase vehicles, and in 2001 with higher-voltage 750V dc power-supply. Consorzio Trasporti Pubblici run the second trolleybus system, a modest interurban operation which since recent restructuring has had but a single route, worked Monday-Saturday only, using five elderly Alfa Romeo vehicles plus three new AnsaldoBreda electro-diesel buses. CTP's route M13 starts at Napoli Piazza San Francesco with diesel operation, and the wires commence at Napoli Piazza Carlo III, running through the suburbs to Aversa, then on a recent extension to Teverola. With an end-to-end journey-time of over an hour, M13 is claimed to be the longest trolleybus route in western Europe.

18] Ticketing arrangements: The previous Giranapoli ticketing arrangements have now been extended into a comprehensive ticketing system for all railways, funiculars, trams, trolleybuses and buses (but not ships) within the whole province of Campania (with a few logical extensions beyond the provincial boundary). The province is divided into six concentric zones around Napoli, numbered outwards from 0 (the city itself) to 5. Tickets are sold by station booking-offices and kiosks, and need to be validated when first used. Of main relevance to visitors are three types of ticket, issued for one or more zones as requested. Single tickets are valid for a fixed time depending on the number of zones to be traversed, and allow only a single-direction ride on a funicular. Day-rover tickets valid Monday-Friday after 09:30 are priced at about twice the single fare. Weekend day-rover tickets have no morning restriction and are somewhat cheaper than the weekday version.

19] Shipping services: Several operators provide services to Sorrento, Capri, Ischia and other resorts. Increasing use is made of hydrofoils and other fast craft, but car-ferries continue to be required. There are two departure points in Napoli, Molo Beverello near the city centre, and Mergellina.

20] Non-passenger railways: A triangle of lines lie east of Napoli Centrale, but few, if any, passenger trains use the avoiding curve. Various overnight services have no booked stops between Roma and Salerno, but In Treno notes concerning fares indicate that these run via Caserta and Sarno. A branch line along the harbour-front runs to Napoli Marittima, which has an impressive station-building, but no passenger trains.

21] Salerno and Caserta: All Salerno - Napoli trains run via the Direttissima, except those calling at intermediate stations between Salerno and Nocera Inferiore, which use the old line. This is very steeply graded and gives a stunning view over the Golfo di Salerno. All Salerno - Sarno trains use the Direttissima. Where this curves north towards Sarno there is a large flying junction, with a trackless concrete viaduct heading north-westwards. The Codola - Nocera Inferiore line is worked as single track, with trains crossing between the former northbound and southbound lines via the facing crossover at Piedimonte, a closed station. The curves towards Piedimonte from Bivio Grotti and from Bivio Nocera are both out of use. A limited number of trains continue to run between Roma and Caserta via the Aversa avoiding line. These are indicated by footnotes in In Treno and in the Pozzorario Generale.

22] Some other lines in Campania: The passenger service is at least partly diesel on the Cancello - Torre Annunziata Centrale section, a somewhat woebegone electrified single-track line. Torre Annunziata Centrale - Castellamare di Stabia - Gragnano is also a single-track electrified line, with an electric local service. Trains have to reverse at Castellamare di Stabia, and the section beyond to Gragnano now has no provision for freight. As late as the 1930s the Battipaglia - Potenza Inferiore section, a single-track secondary line on a difficult alignment, had no trains of main line-status, but it has been electrified, apparently since 1990. The two Roma - Taranto daytime expresses routed this way are worked by early Pendolino tilting trains. Potenza Inferiore - Potenza Superiore - Avigliano Lucania - Rocchetta San Antonio-Lacedonia is a non-electrified single-track secondary route opened by the Rete Adriatica in 1897. Its principal interest is the 10.2km Potenza Superiore - Avigliano Lucania middle section, which is mixed-gauge track shared since 1933 with the 950mm-gauge trains of the operators now known as Ferrovie Appulo Lucane. The extensive junction station at Rocchetta is remote from the villages it purports to serve, being 14km from Rochetta San Antonio and 19km from Lacedonia. The single track non-electrified Rocchetta San Antonio-Lacedonia - Lioni - Avellino line, opened by the Rete Mediterranea in 1895, appeared in 2002 to be dying. The Rocchetta - Lioni eastern section has a single passenger working each way, and several metal girder bridges were clearly in poor repair, requiring severe speed restrictions. The Avellino - Benevento section is single-track and diesel-operated. Caserta - Ponte Casalduni - Benevento is single-track and electrified, though some of the local trains are diesel railcars. A major deviation of the Ponte Casalduni - Benevento section is recent and not shown on the Ball atlas. Salerno - Mercato San Severino is a single-track diesel-worked line, whose main interest is a wide spiral between Fratte and Pellezzano, not far north of Salerno. Mercato San Severino - Nocera Inferiore is also single-track and diesel-operated. With the improvement of the line from Sarno towards Salerno, one side of the two triangles between Nocera Inferiore and Codola shown in the Ball atlas but not required by present passenger service has been removed. Benevento - Bosco Redole (- Campobasso) is a heavily graded single-track non-electrified line now with only two return workings a day. The rest of the service is operated by bus on a reasonable main road offering considerably faster journey times than the two trains. The junction station at Bosco Redole is unstaffed and appears to have no conventional public access.