Strategic cross-country line linking the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic seaboards

The project

Upgrading the Orte–Falconara line is a strategic infrastructure project for the Umbria–Marche railway system, providing a vital link between the Milan–Rome line and the Bologna–Lecce line. Improving rail services along this route can enhance the overall attractiveness of rail transport by increasing train frequencies and reducing journey times, as a result of increased capacity and targeted track improvements. The project aims to encourage a significant shift in the modal split in favour of rail transport, helping to reduce reliance on motor vehicles. This transition will bring widespread benefits for regional mobility and the wider community, including shorter journey times on the roads, lower vehicle emissions, and an overall improvement in regional traffic conditions.

Benefits

The upgrading of the line delivers significant time savings for both private transport users and rail passengers, while helping to reduce accidents and urban congestion. There are also significant environmental benefits, thanks to reduced pollutant and noise emissions and the mitigation of the effects of climate change.

Infrastructure upgrade works

The project involves the doubling of the railway track, which partly runs alongside the legacy line and partly on a new alignment, as well as the removal of level crossings and the construction of road networks connected to the new crossing structures. Plans also include the upgrading of stations and stops, and a significant line technology upgrade, covering electric traction systems, signalling and traffic safety systems, and railway telecommunications. The overall programme to upgrade the Orte–Falconara line includes the main sections Terni–Spoleto, Spoleto–Campello, and PM228–Castelplanio, besides the works already carried out by FS Engineering.

The role of FS Engineering

FS Engineering is involved in the project to double the track capacity—via a track realignment—of the Orte–Falconara trans-Apennine line. This project aims to enhance passenger services between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic regions, while creating an alternative freight route for north–south traffic. On completion of the works, journey times between Rome and Ancona are expected to be reduced by up to approximately 30 minutes, and between Rome and Perugia by up to approximately 15 minutes, depending on the final operating model and the completion of the Spoleto–Terni line doubling project. The new infrastructure configuration will also improve service regularity and reliability, thanks to a revised operational model and an optimized service timetable coordinated with the upgrading of the Spoleto–Terni line.