Berlin–Palermo railway axis
Encyclopedia
The Berlin-Palermo railway axis is Line 1 of the Trans-European Transport Networks
(TEN-T),which involves the creation of a 2,200 km-long high-speed rail
line between Berlin
and Palermo
.
In Germany
, this line will begin at the Berlin Central Station
opened in 2006 and runs via the completed Berlin–Halle/Leipzig railway
. From Halle and Leipzig the line follows the new line to Erfurt, which is currently under construction and due to be completed in 2015. The following year, the continuation of this route south to Nuremberg is due to be completed. In the meantime, trains run on the winding Saal line
east of Erfurt
between Leipzig
and Nuremberg
via Jena
. From Nuremberg to Munich, this route runs via the high-speed line opened in 2006 via Ingolstadt
. The section of the Munich–Rosenheim line
between Munich Central Station
and Grafing
the line has already been upgraded to four-tracks to separate mainline and suburban traffic. A branch from Rosenheim–Kufstein
runs to the Austria
n border at Kufstein
.
n section is the New Lower Inn Valley railway. In particular in the section between Wörgl
and Baumkirchen
is the most congested line of the whole TEN-network. This congestion is a result of the Austrian national east-west traffic and the international north-south traffic sharing the same line. The largest part of the new Lower Inn Valley railway is already under construction (Kundl– Baumkirchen) and the shorter section between Kundl and Kufstein
(or Brannenburg
in Bavaria
) is being planned. After the completion of the Austrian section trains will be able to operate at up to 250 km/h. In Baumkirchen, new high-speed curves link with the Innsbruck bypass including the Inn Valley tunnel (German: Inntaltunnel), which is already in operation, but still needs to be upgraded for passengers and connected with the existing line to Innsbruck station. The Inn Valley tunnel will connect directly with the future Brenner Base Tunnel
which will connect with (southern entrance leads to the Brenner Railway). The combined Inn Valley and Brenner Base tunnels will be the longest railway tunnel in the world (62.8 kilometres).
:
The former Berlusconi cabinet had announced that construction of a bridge across the Strait of Messina
as a combined rail/road bridge with a length of 3.3 km will go ahead in 2010 and is scheduled to be completed 2016. An upgrade of the 400 km Salerno–Reggio Calabria line is also proposed to increase speeds and capacity. On Sicily
the 230 km long rail link between Messina and Palermo is being substantially upgraded.
to coodinate the Berlin-Palermo rail corridor, although he died in June 2009.
Trans-European Transport Networks
The Trans-European Transport Networks are a planned set of road, rail, air and water transport networks designed to serve the entire continent of Europe. The TEN-T networks are part of a wider system of Trans-European Networks , including a telecommunications network and a proposed energy network...
(TEN-T),which involves the creation of a 2,200 km-long high-speed rail
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
line between Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
.
Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, this line will begin at the Berlin Central Station
Berlin Hauptbahnhof
' , is the main railway station in Berlin, Germany. It began full operation two days after a ceremonial opening on 26 May 2006. It is located on the site of the historic Lehrter Bahnhof, and until it opened as a main line station, it was a stop on the Berlin S-Bahn suburban railway temporarily...
opened in 2006 and runs via the completed Berlin–Halle/Leipzig railway
Anhalt Railway
The Anhalt railway , most commonly referred to as the Berlin-Halle railway , is a twin-track, electrified main line found in the German city-state of Berlin, and the states of Brandenburg and Sachsen-Anhalt...
. From Halle and Leipzig the line follows the new line to Erfurt, which is currently under construction and due to be completed in 2015. The following year, the continuation of this route south to Nuremberg is due to be completed. In the meantime, trains run on the winding Saal line
Saal Railway
The Saal Railway is a 153 kilometre-long double-track main line in the German state of Thuringia. It connects the Thuringian Railway at Großheringen with the Franconian Forest Railway at at Saalfeld and is part of the north-south main line, Munich–Nuremberg–Halle / Leipzig–Berlin...
east of Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
between Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
via Jena
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
. From Nuremberg to Munich, this route runs via the high-speed line opened in 2006 via Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt is a city in the Free State of Bavaria, in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is located along the banks of the Danube River, in the center of Bavaria. As at 31 March 2011, Ingolstadt had 125.407 residents...
. The section of the Munich–Rosenheim line
Munich–Salzburg railway
The Munich–Salzburg railway is a 153 kilometre-long double-track main line of the German railways. It connects Munich with the line to Vienna at Salzburg. At Rosenheim station, it connects with the line to Kufstein. which continues to Innsbruck and the Brenner line to Italy...
between Munich Central Station
München Hauptbahnhof
Munich Central Station is the main railway station of the city of Munich in Germany. It is one of the three long distance train stations in Munich, the others being München-Pasing and München Ost. The station sees about 350,000 passengers a day, which puts it on par with other large stations in...
and Grafing
Grafing
Grafing bei München is a town in the Upper Bavarian district of Ebersberg. In 2003, the town marked its 50th anniversary of being raised to town .-Geography:...
the line has already been upgraded to four-tracks to separate mainline and suburban traffic. A branch from Rosenheim–Kufstein
Rosenheim–Kufstein railway
The Rosenheim–Kufstein railway is a 32 kilometre-long double-track main line of the German railways. It connects the Munich–Salzburg line at Rosenheim with the line to Innsbruck, thus connecting Germany, Salzburg and eastern Austria with Innsbruck and the Brenner line to Italy and the Arlberg line...
runs to the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n border at Kufstein
Kufstein
Kufstein is a city in Tyrol, Austria, located along the river Inn, in the lower Inn valley, near the border with Bavaria, Germany, and is the site of a post World War II French sector United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration Displaced Persons camp.Kufstein is the second largest city...
.
Austria
The heart of the AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n section is the New Lower Inn Valley railway. In particular in the section between Wörgl
Wörgl
Wörgl is a town in Tyrol, Austria, in the Kufstein district. It is 20 km from the state border with Bavaria.-Transport:Wörgl is an important railway junction between the line from Innsbruck to Munich, and the inner-Austrian line to Salzburg...
and Baumkirchen
Baumkirchen
Baumkirchen is a community in the district of Innsbruck Land. It lies in the Inn Valley north of the Inn River on a batter of the Gnadenwald terrace. The village can be reached via the Inn Valley Motorway.-External links:*...
is the most congested line of the whole TEN-network. This congestion is a result of the Austrian national east-west traffic and the international north-south traffic sharing the same line. The largest part of the new Lower Inn Valley railway is already under construction (Kundl– Baumkirchen) and the shorter section between Kundl and Kufstein
Kufstein
Kufstein is a city in Tyrol, Austria, located along the river Inn, in the lower Inn valley, near the border with Bavaria, Germany, and is the site of a post World War II French sector United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration Displaced Persons camp.Kufstein is the second largest city...
(or Brannenburg
Brannenburg
Brannenburg is a municipality in the district of Rosenheim in Bavaria in Germany....
in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
) is being planned. After the completion of the Austrian section trains will be able to operate at up to 250 km/h. In Baumkirchen, new high-speed curves link with the Innsbruck bypass including the Inn Valley tunnel (German: Inntaltunnel), which is already in operation, but still needs to be upgraded for passengers and connected with the existing line to Innsbruck station. The Inn Valley tunnel will connect directly with the future Brenner Base Tunnel
Brenner Base Tunnel
The Brenner Base Tunnel is a planned long railway tunnel through the base of the Brenner massif. It will run from Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof in Austria to Franzensfeste in Italy, replacing part of the current Brenner railway...
which will connect with (southern entrance leads to the Brenner Railway). The combined Inn Valley and Brenner Base tunnels will be the longest railway tunnel in the world (62.8 kilometres).
Italy
In recent decades, the following lines have been built or significantly upgraded in ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
:
- In 2009 work was competed on duplicating the Verona–Bologna lineVerona–Bologna railwayThe Verona–Bologna railway is a major Italian railway connecting Verona and Bologna and part of the major axis from the Brenner railway to the Bologna–Florence and on to Rome. The line is part of the Line 1 of Trans-European Transport Networks...
and upgrading it for 200 km/h speeds, including several deviations. - The Milan–Bologna high-speed line (215 km) was opened on 13 December 2008.
- The Bologna–Florence high-speed line (78 km) was opened on 13 December 2009.
- The Florence–Rome high-speed line (254 km) was completed on 26 May 1992.
- The Rome–Naples high-speed line was partially opened on 19 December 2005 and completely on 13 December 2009.
- The Naples–Salerno high-speed line was opened in June 2008.
The former Berlusconi cabinet had announced that construction of a bridge across the Strait of Messina
Strait of Messina Bridge
The Strait of Messina Bridge is a long-planned suspension bridge across the Strait of Messina, a narrow section of water between the eastern tip of Sicily and the southern tip of mainland Italy. In 2006, under Prime Minister Romano Prodi the project was cancelled...
as a combined rail/road bridge with a length of 3.3 km will go ahead in 2010 and is scheduled to be completed 2016. An upgrade of the 400 km Salerno–Reggio Calabria line is also proposed to increase speeds and capacity. On Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
the 230 km long rail link between Messina and Palermo is being substantially upgraded.
EU Coordinator
On 20 July 2005, the European Union appointed coordinators for the five major trans-European rail transport projects to accelerate the realisation of these projects. It appointed the Belgian Karel Van MiertKarel Van Miert
Karel Van Miert was a socialist Flemish politician.He was born in Oud-Turnhout. He studied at Ghent University and gained a degree in diplomatic sciences. In 1976 he became adjunct-national secretary of the – at that time – unitary Belgian socialist party...
to coodinate the Berlin-Palermo rail corridor, although he died in June 2009.