Railway line in Italy / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Genova-Ventimiglia railway runs along the coast of the Liguria region of Italy. It was opened as a single track line between Genova and Savona in 1868, and between Savona and Ventimiglia in 1872, mostly running along a coastal corniche.
The line is being doubled mainly by building an entirely new double track line parallel to the existing railway, because the line often runs through towns where there is no space for a second track. The new line also increases the maximum speed from 100 to 180km/h. The line is mainly in tunnels: 61km of the 74km of line between Ospedaletti and Finale Ligure is underground, and the rest of the line has similar proportions. The longest tunnel is Caponero-Capoverde (13.135km). This tunnel includes the new Sanremo station.
The new line has fewer stations than the old, leaving some towns without a railway service. Due to it being mainly in tunnels, the new line does not feature views of the Ligurian coast, making it less attractive for sightseeing.
As of 2007, 18km of new double track line are under construction (San Lorenzo-Andora) and 32km are in the planning stage (Andora-Finale Ligure).