Gallarate railway station
Encyclopedia
Gallarate railway station serves the city and comune
of Gallarate
, in the region
of Lombardy
, northern Italy
. Opened in 1860, it forms part of the Milan–Domodossola railway, and is a terminus of two secondary railways, linking Gallarate with Varese and Laveno, 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.
, on the southeastern edge of the city centre.
On 24 July 1865, the next section of the Milan–Domodossola railway, from Gallarate to Sesto Calende, went into operation. Two months later, on 26 September 1865, Gallarate became a junction station
, for the newly opened Varese–Gallarate railway.
On 17 March 1884, another secondary line, the Laveno–Gallarate railway, commenced operations into Gallarate.
Just beyond the station, towards Milan, is a goods yard, now abandoned, and a workshop for the maintenance of rolling stock. The workshop has been closed for over ten years, but may eventually reopen.
Adjacent to track 1 is a State Police station, close to the Commissariat.
The passenger trains calling at the station are mainly regional services
and Line S5 Milan suburban services. The station is also served by Eurocity
trains providing connections between Milan and either Geneva or Basel.
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 Gallarate
Gallarate
Gallarate is a city and comune of Lombardy, northern Italy, in the Province of Varese. It has a population of some 51,700....
, in the 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....
of Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
, northern Italy
Northern Italy
Northern Italy is a wide cultural, historical and geographical definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the northern part of the Italian state, also referred as Settentrione or Alta Italia...
. Opened in 1860, it forms part of the Milan–Domodossola railway, and is a terminus of two secondary railways, linking Gallarate with Varese and Laveno, 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
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 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.
Location
Gallarate railway station is situated at Piazza Giovanni XXIIIPope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
, on the southeastern edge of the city centre.
History
The station was opened on 20 December 1860, together with the Rho–Gallarate section of the Milan–Domodossola railway.On 24 July 1865, the next section of the Milan–Domodossola railway, from Gallarate to Sesto Calende, went into operation. Two months later, on 26 September 1865, Gallarate became a junction station
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 the newly opened Varese–Gallarate railway.
On 17 March 1884, another secondary line, the Laveno–Gallarate railway, commenced operations into Gallarate.
Features
The station yard has eight tracks, including five through tracks equipped with platforms:- Track 1 is for direct trains to DomodossolaDomodossola railway stationDomodossola 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...
, GenevaGeneva Airport railway stationGeneva Airport railway station is a railway station located under the terminal of the Geneva International Airport , in Grand-Saconnex, Geneva, Switzerland....
and BaselBasel SBB railway stationBasel SBB is the central railway station in the city of Basel in Switzerland. Trains run by the Swiss Federal Railways to destinations within Switzerland use this station, as well as Deutsche Bahn Intercity-Express trains to Germany as well as Zürich and Interlaken...
. - Track 2 is for direct trains to Milano Centrale, Milano Porta GaribaldiMilano Porta Garibaldi railway stationMilano Porta Garibaldi is a major station in the Italian city of Milan, located just to the north of the neighbourhood known as Porta Garibaldi...
and the pair of international trains to and from VeniceVenezia Santa Lucia railway stationVenezia Santa Lucia railway station is a terminal station serving the comune of Venice, Italy. It is also the only railway station in the historic city of Venice ....
. - Track 3 is a through track used for terminating trains from Arona (via the Milan–Domodossola railway) and Luino (via the Laveno–Gallarate railway).
- Track 4 is a service track.
- Track 5 is used mainly by trains on line S5 of the Milan suburban rail service, and regional trains direct to VareseVarese railway stationVarese railway station serves the town and comune of Varese, in the region of Lombardy, northern Italy. Opened in 1865, it is a terminus and junction of two secondary railways, linking Varese with Gallarate and Porto Ceresio, respectively....
. - Track 6 is used by trains on line S5 and regional trains from Porto Ceresio and Varese.
- Tracks 7 and 8 are used by goods trains direct to HupacHupacHupac is a railway company in Switzerland. Hupac's Shuttle Net has 108 intermodal trains per day across Europe. Hupac also offers a rolling highway from Basel to Lugano. In 2009, volumes carried fell by 13.5%, to 607,284 road consignments; but profit increased...
's Busto Arsizio Terminal and to SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland 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....
via Luino or Domodossola.
Just beyond the station, towards Milan, is a goods yard, now abandoned, and a workshop for the maintenance of rolling stock. The workshop has been closed for over ten years, but may eventually reopen.
Adjacent to track 1 is a State Police station, close to the Commissariat.
Passenger and train movements
The station has about 6.6 million passenger movements each year.The passenger trains calling at the station are mainly regional services
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...
and Line S5 Milan suburban services. The station is also served by Eurocity
EuroCity
EuroCity, abbreviated EC, denotes an international train service within the European inter-city rail network. In contrast to trains with the "IC" label, "EC" trains are international trains that meet certain criteria. The EuroCity label replaces the older Trans Europ Express name for...
trains providing connections between Milan and either Geneva or Basel.
See also
- History of rail transport in Italy
- List of railway stations in Lombardy
- 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:...