The “Direttissima” Rome – Florence Railway Line (1983)

The “Direttissima Firenze-Roma” is a high-speed rail route between Florence and Rome, Italy. On 24 February 1977 more than half of line opened: it was the first high-speed line operating in Europe. It represented the start of a fundamental modernisation of Italian transportation.

The project, commissioned by Ferrovie dello Stato (i.e. Italian State Railways) was approved and funded in 1968-1969, while work started in 1970. The tender for assigning the construction of the second lot – 21.35 km from Stimigliano to Orte, in the River Tiber Valley – was won by a consortium including Co.ge.far (the company is today part of the Salini Impregilo’s history).

The Direttissima Firenze-Roma was conceived as sort of railway highway. In addition to allowing trains to travel at speeds of 250 km per hour, it directly connected two great cities. However, it provided the possibility of “entering” and “exiting” along the segment via dedicated “interconnections” with the old Florence-Rome line. This made it possible to serve smaller cities where necessary, detouring trains without causing traffic jams.

Employer: Ferrovie dello Stato
Contractor: Cogefar – Italstrade – Recchi

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Credits
Directed by: Ugo Alberico
Photography by Guglielmo Chiolini and Carlo Pozzi