Rome, 1 to 3 October 2015
It is a journey on a historic train from Napoli Centrale (Naples Central Train Station) to Pietrarsa in order to inaugurate the States-General for Sustainable Tourism, scheduled from now and until 3 October at the renovated Museo Ferroviario di Pietrarsa (Pietrarsa Railway Museum). Three days in which experts, associations and the non-profit world will launch a reflection upon the programmatic sector: the topics that will be covered according to the shared processing methodology ranging from smart innovation to sustainable destinations, from mobility to new travel economy, by cultural assets as a factor of sustainable development of tourism to the promotion of the local area.
The Minister of Heritage, Culture and Tourism, Dario Franceschini, and the CEO of the FS Italiane Group, Michele Mario Elia will be on board for this historic train ride.The composition of this historic train ride
This historic train ride from Napoli (Naples) to Pietrarsa is hauled by an E626.428 electric locomotive and consists of five “Centoporte” type coaches (4 belonging to Series 36,000 and 1 belonging to Series 39,000). The convoy originates from the train depot in Palermo, which is used as a hub for historical trains from the Fondazione FS Italiane organized in Sicily.
The “Centoporte” type carriages, designed in 1928 and built in 1931, and active until 1951 (with a break between 1940 and 1947), were the first Italian coaches made from a metal casing as opposed to one made from wood.
With a seventy-eight seating capacity, equipped with steam or electric heating, these coaches were designed to meet the high demand for mobility on particularly crowded routes. Just to facilitate the loading and offloading of passengers, they were equipped with a high number of doors distributed along the entire length of the sides, which could number up to ten on each side.
This type of carriage was reclassified with its current name in 1956, on the occasion of the elimination of the third class Italian trains.
The original colour of the very first Centoporte coaches was the green carriage, eventually abandoned in favour of Isabella brown in 1935, and then the plain brown colour in 1963. The 1970s would see these coaches in their final colour shade prior to their removal, that being the gray slate hue.
Today, fifty specimens of the different series produced have survived and all are used in the formation of the many vintage trains that the Italian State Railways Foundation organizes every year along routes of great historic and scenic value.
These train cars are, by far, the most filmed in the history of Italian cinematography.
The E626 Locomotive
These 3,000 V c.c. locomotives belong to the E626 Group, designed in 1926. There were 448 copies produced in three different series from 1927 to 1939, and would prove to be real “pack mules of the railways”.
They substantially originated as multi-role locomotives. However, once the E428 entered into service; a much faster and more powerful locomotive, they would primarily be engaged in the hauling of freight trains, local passengers and pushing, form the tail-end, heavy convoys on steep stretches of track. After the World War II, some of these locomotive engines can still be found scattered throughout various parts of Europe, so that the remaining 17 located in the former Yugoslavia will be acquired by the railways, while four others will increment the rolling stock fleet of the Czech Republic.
Decommissioned in 1999, to date there are 18 of them (some owned by the State Railways, instead others belong to dealership networks). They are still in full working order and are used to pull historic trains or queued to the train itself in order to aid in stream traction.
In Italian cinematography, locomotives belonging to this group appear in many films. For example, this type of locomotive was the protagonist in the TV Series “All’ultimo minuto: Il rapido delle 13.30” directed by Ruggero Deodato (1972) in which the carriage is seen from its interior during the race. In “Accadde tra le sbarre” directed by Giorgio Cristallini then, another E626 was filmed at the head of a train that runs on the Rome-Pescara line, in one of the longer scenes of the film. Finally, another E626 can be seen in the film “La stazione” (The Station), a dramatic film directed by Sergio Rubini in 1990.
By train
The station corresponding to the Museum is Pietrarsa - San Giorgio a Cremano. You can buy your ticket on the website trenitalia.com.
By automobile
For those coming from the A1 Rome-Naples motorway: exit Napoli Centro - Via marittima direzione (Sea transport direction) Portici, at the end of Corso San Giovanni a Teduccio turn right into Traversa Pietrarsa. For those coming from Salerno, along the A3 motorway: exit Ercolano - Bellavista or San Giorgio a Cremano: direction Napoli (Naples). Due to the lack of parking areas (there are only parking spaces on the main roads) the use of privately owned vehicles to get to the museum is not recommended.
By bus
With the ANM (Azienda Napoletana Mobilità) transport system: from Piazza Garibaldi take buses no. 254 and no. 256 towards San Giorgio a Cremano; Via Marina/Viale Amerigo Vespucci buses no. 157, no. 254, no. 255 and no. 256 towards San Giorgio a Cremano.
For visitors with disabilities or reduced mobility
The Museum is accessible to visitors with disabilities or reduced mobility. To access the museum website please call in advance by dialling 081-472003 (selecting option 1 or 2), to reserve the dedicated entrance from the moveable driveway gate, with crossing at grade, organized by the station personnel.
Wi-Fi Station
Wi-Fi Stations are here also at Pietrarsa.
The service is free, providing connectivity and information to museum visitors and travellers coming from Milano Centrale (Milan Central Train Station), Rho Fiera and Milano Porta Garibaldi.
For more details visit the section dedicated to Wi-Fi Station