Asti railway station
Encyclopedia
Asti railway station serves the city and comune
of Asti
, in the Piedmont
region
, northwestern Italy
. Opened in 1849, the station forms part of the Turin–Genoa and Castagnole–Asti–Mortara railways, and is also a junction
for two other lines, to Genoa and Chivasso, respectively.
The station is currently managed by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana
(RFI). However, the commercial area of the passenger building is managed by Centostazioni
. Train services are operated by Trenitalia
. Each of these companies is a subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato
(FS), Italy's state-owned rail company.
There are many other tracks, not electrified, that are dedicated to goods service. The station also has a goods yard, and a major locomotive depot with a turntable.
Associated renovations to the square in front of the passenger building were funded by the comune, with a budget of € 204,000. These renovations involved the breaking down of architectural barriers, the installation of additional street furniture, and the remodelling of interchange areas.
The trains stopping at Asti are InterCity
, express and regional
trains. Their main destinations are Turin
, Alessandria
, Chivasso
, Casale Monferrato
, Alba and Acqui Terme.
The station also has a bus terminal. The service provider is GTT, and the main destinations of the buses are Canale, Cisterna
and Cerrina.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of Asti
Asti
Asti is a city and comune of about 75,000 inhabitants located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about 55 kilometres east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River...
, in the Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
region
Regions of Italy
The regions of Italy are the first-level administrative divisions of the state, constituting its first NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, of which five are constitutionally given a broader amount of autonomy granted by special statutes....
, northwestern Italy
Northwest Italy
Northwest Italy is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics , a first level NUTS region and a European Parliament constituency...
. Opened in 1849, the station forms part of the Turin–Genoa and Castagnole–Asti–Mortara railways, and is also a junction
Junction (rail)
A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge.This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes , 'points' and signalling.one or two tracks each meet at a junction, a fairly simple layout of tracks suffices to...
for two other lines, to Genoa and Chivasso, respectively.
The station is currently managed by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana
Rete Ferroviaria Italiana
Rete Ferroviaria Italiana is an Italian company fully owned by Ferrovie dello Stato . RFI is the owner of Italy's railway network, it sets train paths, provides signalling, provides maintenance and other services for the railway network...
(RFI). However, the commercial area of the passenger building is managed by Centostazioni
Centostazioni
' is a member company of Italy's Ferrovie dello Stato group. It was created to rehabilitate, develop and manage 103 medium sized Italian railway stations.-History:...
. Train services are operated by Trenitalia
Trenitalia
Trenitalia is the primary train operator in Italy. Trenitalia is owned by Ferrovie dello Stato, itself owned by the Italian Government. It was created in 2000 following the EU directive on the deregulation of rail transport.-Passenger transport:...
. Each of these companies is a subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato is a government-owned holding which manage infrastructure and service on the Italian rail network. The subsidiary Trenitalia is the main rail operator in Italy.-Organization:Ferrovie dello Stato subsidiaries are:...
(FS), Italy's state-owned rail company.
History
The station was opened on 15 November 1849, upon the inauguration of the Trofarello–Asti section of the Turin–Genoa railway.Structures
The passenger building made up of three components, distinct from each other, and connected by a glass tunnel. The main part of the building is a rectangular structure and comprises two levels, of which only the ground floor is open to the public. There are some shops and business services in the glass house connecting the main body with the two side buildings. These buildings are very similar to each other: rectangular in shape, on two levels, and constructed of whitewashed masonry.Yards
The station yard consists of eight tracks, one of which (number four) has no platform. All of the other tracks, ranging from one through eight, have a platform protected by a long wrought iron canopy. These platforms are connected by an underpass. Each is equipped with several monitors that display information about arrival and departure of trains.There are many other tracks, not electrified, that are dedicated to goods service. The station also has a goods yard, and a major locomotive depot with a turntable.
Renovations
In 2006, work was completed on the renovation of the passenger building. The work was co-financed by RFI and Centostazioni to the extent of € 2.8 million, and comprised the following: renovation of the atrium, replacement of flooring, replacement of windows, renovation of the waiting room, removal of architectural barriers, installation of tactile paving, restoration of the exterior facade, and the transfer of the toilets from the eastern to the western side of the building.Associated renovations to the square in front of the passenger building were funded by the comune, with a budget of € 204,000. These renovations involved the breaking down of architectural barriers, the installation of additional street furniture, and the remodelling of interchange areas.
Passenger and train movements
The station has around 6 million passenger movements each year. There are about 217 trains per day.The trains stopping at Asti are InterCity
InterCity
InterCity is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe...
, express and regional
Regional rail
Commuter rail, also called suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates between a city center, and the middle to outer suburbs beyond 15km and commuter towns or other locations that draw large numbers of commuters—people who travel on a daily basis...
trains. Their main destinations are Turin
Torino Porta Nuova railway station
Torino Porta Nuova station is currently the main railway station of Turin. It is the third busiest station in Italy for passenger flow after Rome Termini and Milan Central, with about 192,000 journeys per day and 70 million travellers a year and a total of about 350 trains per day. It is...
, Alessandria
Alessandria railway station
Alessandria railway station serves the city and comune of Alessandria, in the Piedmont region, northwestern Italy. Opened in 1850, it forms part of the Turin–Genoa railway, and is also a junction for six other lines, to Piacenza, Arona, Pavia, Cavallermaggiore, Ovada and San Giuseppe di Cairo,...
, Chivasso
Chivasso railway station
Chivasso railway station serves the town and comune of Chivasso, in the Piedmont region, northwestern Italy. Opened in 1856, it forms part of the Turin–Milan railway, and is also a junction for three other lines, to Aosta, Asti and Casale Monferrato, respectively.The station is currently managed...
, Casale Monferrato
Casale Monferrato railway station
Casale Monferrato railway station is the main station of Casale Monferrato, in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy, and is now the only one at which passenger trains stop.-Overview:...
, Alba and Acqui Terme.
Interchange
In front of the passenger building is a small parking lot and a sign indicating telephone numbers for taxis.The station also has a bus terminal. The service provider is GTT, and the main destinations of the buses are Canale, Cisterna
Cisterna
A cisterna comprises a flattened membrane disk that makes up the Golgi apparatus. A typical Golgi has anywhere from 3 to 7 cisternae stacked upon each other like a stack of dinner plates, but there are usually around 6...
and Cerrina.
See also
- History of rail transport in Italy
- List of railway stations in Piedmont
- Rail transport in ItalyRail transport in ItalyThe Italian railway system is one of the most important infrastructure in the country, with a total length of . The network is recently growing with the construction of the new high speed rail network....
- Railway stations in ItalyRailway stations in ItalyRailway stations in Italy are maintained and operated by the RFI division of Ferrovie dello Stato Group. A minor part of them is operated by private and regional companies, conceded by the state.-Classification:...