Domodossola railway station
Encyclopedia
Domodossola railway station serves the city and comune
of Domodossola
, in the Piedmont
region
, northwestern Italy
. Opened in 1888, it forms a major break of gauge junction
between standard gauge
lines to Milan, Brig
and Novara
, and a metre gauge
line to Locarno
.
The station is currently managed by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana
(RFI). However, the commercial area of the passenger building
is managed by Centostazioni
. Train services on the lines to Milan and Novara are operated by Trenitalia
. Each of these companies is a subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato
(FS), Italy's state-owned rail company.
Train services on the line to Brig are operated by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS), and those on the line to Locarno by the Società Subalpina Imprese Ferroviarie (SSIF). These two lines combine to form an international link, via Domodossola, between the German and Italian speaking parts of Switzerland
.
, at the eastern edge of the city centre.
, by connecting it with Novara and Turin
.
On 1 June 1906, Domodossola was extended to become an international facility, upon the opening of the Simplon Tunnel
and the Brig–Domodossola railway that passes through it.
The metre gauge connection
between Domodossola and Locarno entered service on 27 November 1923.
granite
and three cornices.
, Omegna
and Milan Malpensa Airport.
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 Domodossola
Domodossola
Domodossola is a city and comune in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in the region of Piedmont, northern Italy...
, 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 1888, it forms a major break of gauge 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...
between standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
lines to Milan, Brig
Brig railway station
Brig railway station is an important railway junction in the municipality of Brig-Glis , in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland...
and Novara
Novara railway station
Novara railway station is the main station serving the city and comune of Novara, in the Piedmont region, northwestern Italy. Opened in 1854, it forms part of the Turin–Milan and Arona–Alessandria railways, and is also a junction station for four other lines, to Biella, Varallo Siesa, Domodossola...
, and a metre gauge
Metre gauge
Metre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland...
line to Locarno
Locarno railway station
Locarno railway station serves the city of Locarno, in the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland. However, the station is located within the adjacent municipality of Muralto, near the shore of Lake Maggiore...
.
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
Station building
A station building, also known as a head house, is the main building of a passenger train station. It is typically used principally to provide services to passengers.A station building is not to be confused with the station itself...
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 on the lines to Milan and Novara 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.
Train services on the line to Brig are operated by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS), and those on the line to Locarno by the Società Subalpina Imprese Ferroviarie (SSIF). These two lines combine to form an international link, via Domodossola, between the German and Italian speaking parts of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Location
Domodossola railway station is situated at Piazza Giacomo MatteottiGiacomo Matteotti
Giacomo Matteotti was an Italian socialist politician. On 30 May 1924, he openly spoke in the Italian Parliament alleging the Fascists committed fraud in the recently held elections, and denounced the violence they used to gain votes...
, at the eastern edge of the city centre.
History
The station was opened on 9 September 1888, together with the rest of the Domodossola–Arona section of the Milan–Domodossola railway. It was built as part of a railway construction project planned since the 1870s. The aim of the project was to break the isolation of the Ossola valleyOssola
The Ossola is an area of Italy situated to the north of Lago Maggiore. It lies within the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola. Its principal river is the Toce, and its most important town Domodossola....
, by connecting it with Novara and Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
.
On 1 June 1906, Domodossola was extended to become an international facility, upon the opening of the Simplon Tunnel
Simplon Tunnel
The Simplon Tunnel is an Alpine railway tunnel that connects the Swiss town of Brig with Domodossola in Italy, though its relatively straight trajectory does not run under Simplon Pass itself. It actually consists of two single-track tunnels built nearly 20 years apart...
and the Brig–Domodossola railway that passes through it.
The metre gauge connection
Domodossola–Locarno railway
The Domodossola-Locarno railway or 'Centovallina' is a metre-gauge railway between Domodossola, Italy and Locarno, Switzerland. It passes through the famous village of Intragna and carried over 1 million passengers in 2010. It is operated by the Ferrovie Autolinee Regionali Ticinesi in Switzerland...
between Domodossola and Locarno entered service on 27 November 1923.
Features
The passenger building has a significant architectural façade, with a string course of BavenoBaveno
Baveno is a town and comune in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, part of Piedmont, northern Italy. It is located on the west shore of Lago Maggiore, 13 miles North West of Arona by rail....
granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and three cornices.
Interchange
From the bus terminal located near the station there are direct buses to the main municipalities in the Ossola valley, and inter-urban routes to VerbaniaVerbania
Verbania is a city and comune on the shore of Lake Maggiore, Piedmont, in northwest Italy, about north-west of Milan and about from Locarno in Switzerland.-Overview:...
, Omegna
Omegna
Omegna is a comune in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 100 km northeast of Turin and about 13 km southwest of Verbania at the northernmost point of Lago d’Orta and traversed by the Nigoglia, the lake’s sole outflow.-History:The presence...
and Milan Malpensa Airport.
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:...