Circumvesuviana

Early years

In 1884, a narrow-gauge railway line was inaugurated, connecting Naples with Baiano via Nola, operated by the Société Anonyme Chemin de fer Naples-Nola-Baiano et Extensions.

However, the true birth of the Circumvesuviana dates back to November 18, 1890, when the Società Anonima Ferrovia Napoli Ottaviano inaugurated the line between these locations. On February 9 of the following year, the line was extended to San Giuseppe Vesuviano (then a district of Ottaviano), reaching a length of 23 km. The entire railway was a single-track, narrow-gauge line operated with steam traction.

In May 1901, management was taken over by the Società Anonima Strade Ferrate Secondarie Meridionali (SFSM), which, over the following years, extended the original line to Sarno and built a new coastal route. This route connected Naples with the densely populated towns of Portici, Ercolano, Torre del Greco, Torre Annunziata, and Pompei, before merging with the Naples-Sarno line near Poggiomarino. This expansion completed the ideal railway loop around Mount Vesuvius, effectively creating the Circumvesuviana, which stretched approximately 64 km, crossed 23 municipalities, served a population of about 300,000 people, and recorded around 3 million passengers annually.

On March 25, 1905, the Naples-Pompei-Poggiomarino line was electrified.

A significant event took place on January 6, 1913, with the inauguration of Pugliano station, which was shared with the Pugliano-Vesuvio railway.

21st Century

Following Decree-Law No. 422 of November 19, 1997, local-interest railways were gradually transferred to the Regions, which became responsible for public transportation services. As part of this reform, on January 1, 2001, the governmental commissioner management (Gestione commissariale governativa di aziende di trasporto) ceased, and Circumvesuviana Srl, a company owned by the Campania Region, was established.

During the same period, new routes were inaugurated, including the Botteghelle-San Giorgio a Cremano section of the Naples-Baiano line, which connects Botteghelle station to San Giorgio a Cremano, passing through the Ponticelli district with five underground stations. Another extension involved the existing link between Pomigliano d’Arco and the Alfa Lancia industrial area, extending to Acerra, reaching a total length of 3 km.^[3]

At the end of 2008, the double-tracking of the Ponticelli-Cercola section on the Naples-Ottaviano-Sarno line was completed. In the same year, the new series 200 electric trains entered service. ^[4]With the arrival of these trains, stations underwent modifications, including raising the platforms.

In 2009, a section of the Naples-Poggiomarino line, including Boscoreale and Boscotrecase stations, was reopened after a complete reconstruction with double-track underground alignment.

In 2010, a train derailed in the Gianturco area, resulting in one fatality and numerous injuries.^[5]

On December 27, 2012, the management company was merged into Ente Autonomo Volturno (EAV), which subsequently took over operation of the entire network.^[6]

In 2017, the Villa Regina-Antiquarium station was inaugurated in Torre Annunziata, along the Torre Annunziata-Sorrento line. That same year, work resumed on the double-tracking project between Pompei Scavi and Castellammare di Stabia, which had been halted since 2011.

The double-tracking project on the Naples-Sorrento line is ongoing, including:

• Activation of the second track between Torre Annunziata and Castellammare di Stabia
• Demolition of Via Nocera station to accommodate the second track
• Construction of a road and pedestrian underpass, replacing the Via Giuseppe Cosenza level crossing
• Excavation of a new tunnel parallel to the existing one, eliminating the Via Grotta San Biagio level crossing
• Installation of noise barriers along the railway area

The underpass will ensure a constant connection between Castellammare Centro and Rione San Marco, eliminating current interruptions caused by level crossing closures. It will also create pedestrian and vehicular access areas for emergency vehicles and commercial loading/unloading. This project is essential as it will increase train frequency on the Naples-Castellammare route to every 12 minutes and improve connections to Sorrento.

By 2025, a new connection between the Circumvesuviana lines and the High-Speed Rail network is expected to be activated. This will involve the construction of a branch from Volla station to Napoli Afragola station.^[7]