Cadenazzo–Luino railway

The railway line Cadenazzo - Luino is a single-track railway line, which by the Swiss Federal Railways ( SBB) and the Italian Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI ) is operated. It combines Bellinzona in Switzerland with Luino in Italy and is one of three built by the Gotthard Railway Company Southern feeder lines of the Gotthard Railway. The route branches off in Cadenazzo of the railway line Giubiasco Locarno and now serves mainly to freight. In passenger transport, it is served by trains on the TILO S 30.

• 2.1 Ownership and Responsibilities

• 3.1 freight Transport
• 3.2 passenger

History

The line was opened by the Gotthard Railway Company on 4 December 1882. She was initially intended to accommodate the Gotthard Bahn services to Genoa, while the traffic should flow via Chiasso to Milan. She was one of the last steam-powered locomotives lines by SBB, the electrical operating with single phase 15 kV 16.67 Hz was introduced on 11 June 1960.

Accidents

On 5 November 2008 went to the train station area of ​​San Nazzaro, a landslide on the tracks down. Then drove a DB freight train, traveling in the direction Cadenazzo on the landslide and derailed in part. In addition to the railway infrastructure and the lead locomotive and the train station building was pulled through the landslide affected.

Future

The course plays a big role in the NEAT planning. The Italian government will preferably cause the total freight transport from Piedmont, and large parts of Lombardy via Luino. This gave rise to the Swiss parliament discussions on the need of the Ceneri base tunnel. The Federal Council, however, explained that the Ceneri tunnel was necessary to perform long-distance passenger and freight transport Northeast Italy via Chiasso. In the medium term in the field contone / Quartino a double-track island emerge to shorten headways. Previously located on Swiss territory only in Magadino Vira station crossing and passing loops. A construction of such dual-track islands is on the Italian side also much more difficult for geological reasons, there currently exist in the stations Pino - Tronzano and Maccagno crossing and overtaking.

Route

The route begins in Cadenazzo train station and runs up to the service station Cadenazzo Ovest parallel to the route to Locarno. The two tracks were originally operated as two Einspurabschnitte, but now form an approximately one kilometer- long double-track section in the two lane changes were incorporated. While the route to Locarno turns into Magadinoebene to the west, the route to Luino continues to follow the foothills of Mount Ceneri. From the station Magadino - Vira, the route leads on a twisty Trassee the shores of Lake Maggiore along. In Ranzo - Sant'Abbondio the border between Switzerland and Italy is crossed. In the almost 15 kilometer stretch ten tunnels are traversed, the longest is 686 meters long and is located just before Luino.

The maximum slope of the line is 8 ‰ and 10 ‰ in the north to the south.

Ownership and responsibilities

The route will be operated jointly by the Swiss SBB and the Italian RFI. The track systems including catenary belong on Swiss soil SBB, on Italian soil the RFI, the companies concerned are also responsible for their maintenance and the operation of associated stations. The chainage of the route is calculated on the Italian side of Milan, on the Swiss side of Immensee. On Italian soil are 16.4 km, 14.9 km on Swiss route.

The driving of the route is up to Luino the SBB. On the entire route Swiss Running Regulations apply and to Einfahrweiche Luino even a Swiss approval of powered units is required. The status of the necessary approvals in Luino station is controversial.

The traffic on the route Limit Luino is governed by an international treaty.

Operation

The track is used primarily to freight. In passenger run every two hours, the S 30 of TILO. The connection is thus one of the last Swiss routes on the run no hourly regional trains. When construction or operational disruptions on other routes which require the diversion of freight trains on Luino, the passenger is often laid on the road.

Freight traffic

Most Gotthard freight trains via Luino, on the one hand to drive around the metropolitan area of ​​Milan and on the other hand, to ensure the connection to the freight terminal in Busto Arsizio, Gallarate or Novara and the Genoese port. After the opening of the freight market at the Gotthard operate together with SBB Cargo are other companies on the line, as Hupac, RAIpin, TX Logistics, DB Schenker / North Cargo, BLS Cargo or the Crossrail AG.

Passenger

The passenger enjoys only minor importance. The S 30 of TILO runs every two hours between Cadenazzo and Luino and serves all stations through Luino, the trains are bound to Milan Malpensa Airport. In Cadenazzo connection exists at the Inter Regio from / to Bellinzona - Arth -Goldau - alternating Basel SBB or Zurich HB. At peak hours, when said Interregio not run, and as reinforcement at peak times runs the S 30 to Bellinzona.

In order to allow the hour for the villages of the municipality Gambarogno, run between Postbus rates between Dirinella and Sant'Antonino.