Ferrovia Circumetnea
The ferrovia circumetnea ( FCE), also circumetnea, is a regional transport company in Sicily, which operates a 950 mm narrow gauge railway almost around Mount Etna. It is the last stretch of the once extensive narrow-gauge railway network in Sicily.
History
The idea for FCE 1880 taken in the course of building a railway network in Sicily. At the request of many communities and villages around Mount Etna a consortium to build the FCE was established by state decree of December 31, 1883, in the province of Catania, the Chamber of Commerce of Catania and the municipalities Riposto Giarre, Mascali, Piedimonte, Linguaglossa, Castiglione di Sicilia, Randazzo, Maletto, Bronte, Adrano, Bianca Villa, Santa Maria di Licodia, Paternò, Belper and Mister Bianco worked together.
The decisive step for the settlement of deferred discrepancies as to the exact route and for the realization of the Circum then made the British investor Robert Trewhella by striking a compromise with the consortium on 11 September 1885. He promised to plan the route to create and equip. In return he received the exclusive rights of the future route. Construction finally began in 1889. On 2 February 1895, first section of Catania Borgo was opened to Adrano.
While the FCE succeeded long time to withstand the regular, caused by earthquakes and eruptions of Mount Etna, they came shortly after the end of World War II because consuming to repairing bomb damage in financial distress so that it was eventually taken over by the state. Since 1999, the FCE operates the first metro line in Catania.
Etna and Paternò Station
Diesel in Cerro
FCE today
The driving on the original route of the FCE between Catania Borgo and Giarre - Riposto train is called in Sicily Littorina. There interact primarily outdated railcars at irregular intervals timetable; the route is primarily used by students. However, for the FCE include a variety of other traffic running in the province of transport, including the modern subway Catania and much of the intra -and inter- local buses.
Extension
In 2010, the entire section was moved underground through the city of Santa Maria di Licodia. Here, the former train station of Santa Maria di Licodia became the breakpoint Santa Maria di Licodia Centro, scheduled train crossings found in the tunnel section held in Santa Maria di Licodia Sud train station. Also in Adrano the tunnel construction has started to eliminate the bottleneck at the local breakpoint.
Apart from a few stations occupied all unoccupied intersection stations are now equipped with off switches. Trains from Randazzo direction Catania leave it on the Etna area.
A closure of the ring around Etna is planned. To this end, the route is to be modernized section to Adrano in a first phase. In a second phase, the ring line to be modernized to Randazzo, in a third phase, the re-opening of the route Randazzo Mojo Alcantara is provided. With the modernization of the railway line Randazzo - Riposto and using it is situated on the coast line of the FS railway ring around Mount Etna in 2015 should be complete.
Locomotives
On the route are only railcars and railcar with a sidecar, in both normal. Care must be taken in the circulation plans that the equipped with Scharfenberg couplers railcars ADe 21-25 can not be coupled with the other vehicles that do not have a rod coupling. It is this actually new vehicles are in contrast to the older in a poor condition externally.
For special trips is the historic railcars ALn 56.05, called Littorina, exists and is used following refurbishment a few years ago to order or for celebrations occasionally.
When circumetnea are still two steam locomotives available, the No. 10 ( ex. MASCALI ) and No. 14 (ex LA MEUSE the ferrovia Alifana ). The No. 14 is processed externally to a switch from the early days with a water crane next to the reception building of the railway station Catania -Borgo.
ALn 64