Taranto railway station

Taranto
The passenger building.
General information
Coordinates	40°28′59″N 17°13′26″E
Operated by	Trenitalia Ferrovie del Sud Est (FSE)
Line(s)	Bari–Taranto (Trenitalia) Taranto–Brindisi Taranto–Reggio di Calabria Bari–Martina Franca–Taranto (FSE)
Distance	114.529 km (71.165 mi) from Bari Centrale
Platforms	10
Other information
Classification	Gold
History
Opened	15 September 1868 (1868-09-15)
Services
Location Taranto Location in Apulia Taranto Location in Italy

Taranto railway station (Template:Lang-it) is the main station serving the city and comune of Taranto, in the region of Apulia, southern Italy. Opened in 1868, it forms a junction between three main lines, from Bari, Brindisi and Reggio di Calabria, respectively. It is also a terminus of a secondary line, the Bari–Martina Franca–Taranto railway.

The station is currently managed by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI). However, the commercial area of the passenger building is managed by Centostazioni. The station's main line train services are operated by or on behalf of Trenitalia. Each of these companies is a subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), Italy's state-owned rail company.

Regional train services on the Bari–Martina Franca–Taranto railway are operated by Ferrovie del Sud Est (FSE).

Location

Taranto railway station is situated at Piazza della Libertà, at the end of Via Duca d'Aosta. It is a short distance to the north west of the Ponte di Porta Napoli, the bridge over the natural channel between Taranto's Mar Grande and its Mar Piccolo.

The station is linked with the city centre by a combination of the Ponte di Porta Napoli, the Isola del Borgo Antico, and the Ponte di San Francesco di Paola, or Ponte Girevole (Template:Lang-en), a well known symbol of Taranto. The latter bridge spans the artificial channel between the Mar Grande and the Mar Piccolo.

History

The station was opened on 15 September 1868, upon the inauguration of the Gioia del Colle–Taranto section of the Bari–Taranto railway.

On 28 February 1869, Taranto was also connected with Metaponto, as the Società per le Strade Ferrate Meridionali (Template:Lang-en, SFM) had initiated the construction of the Jonica railway (Taranto–Reggio di Calabria). On the same day, a connection between the station and the Port of Taranto was opened, as was the first section of the Battipaglia–Potenza–Metaponto railway that, once completed, would open the then-important rail link to Salerno and Naples.

In 1886, the Società per le Strade Ferrate del Mediterraneo (Template:Lang-en) opened the Taranto–Brindisi railway. When finished, it would secure the faster and safer rail connection between these two major railway stations and port locations. From that point onwards, Taranto station was shared by two railway administrations, Rete Adriatica and Rete Mediterranea.

Until the late nineteenth century, Taranto was an important railway junction for traffic in foodstuffs and timber from Calabria and Sicily to the Adriatic and the north. Its importance waned after the opening of the Southern Tyrrhenian railway, which diverted most of this traffic via Salerno and Naples.

The establishment of the Ferrovie del Sud Est (FSE) in 1931 created an additional source of regional traffic, via Martina Franca.

Features

View of the platforms.

The design of the passenger building is influenced by architectural styles that were in vogue in the mid-nineteenth century. It therefore consists of a two-storey central structure with a central clock tower, and two wings extending laterally for form one elevation.

The trains stopping at the station range from regional services to InterCity, Eurostar Italia and high speed trains.

Most train services are operated by Trenitalia. Services on the Bari–Martina Franca–Taranto railway are the exception. They are operated by Ferrovie del Sud Est (FSE).

• High speed services (Frecciabianca) Milan - Parma - Bologna - Ancona - Pescara - Foggia - Bari - Taranto
• Intercity services Rome - Naples - Salerno - Taranto
• Intercity services Rome - Foggia - Bari - Taranto
• Intercity services Bologna - Rimini - Ancona - Pescara - Foggia - Bari - Taranto
• Intercity services Reggio di Calabria - Siderno - Crotone - Rossano - Taranto
• Night train (Intercity Notte) Milan - Ancona - Pescara - Foggia - Bari - Taranto - Brindisi - Lecce
• Regional services (Treno regionale) Naples - Salerno - Potenza - Metaponto - Taranto
• Local services (Treno regionale) Bari - Gioia del Colle - Taranto
• Local services (Treno regionale) Taranto - Francavilla Fontana - Brindisi
• Local services (Treno regionale) Martina Franca - Taranto

Preceding station		Trenitalia		Following station
Gioia del Colle toward		Frecciabianca		Terminus
Metaponto toward Roma Termini		InterCity		Terminus
Gioia del Colle toward Roma Termini		InterCity		Terminus
Gioia del Colle toward Bologna Centrale		InterCity		Terminus
Metaponto toward Reggio di Calabria Centrale		InterCity		Terminus
Gioia del Colle toward Milano Centrale		Intercity Notte		Francavilla Fontana toward Lecce
Palagiona-Chiatona toward Napoli Centrale		Treno regionale		Terminus
Massafra toward Bari Centrale		Treno regionale		Terminus
Terminus		Treno regionale		Nasisi toward Brindisi
Preceding station		Ferrovie del Sud Est		Following station
Taranto Galese toward Martina Franca		Treno regionale		Terminus

Interchange

Local buses link the Piazza della Libertà, outside the station, with the city centre.

See also

• History of rail transport in Italy
• List of railway stations in Apulia
• Rail transport in Italy
• Railway stations in Italy

External links

Media related to Taranto railway station at Wikimedia Commons This article is based upon a translation of the Italian language version as at January 2011.