D6130
Established Member
Over the past four days nearly a year's worth of torrential rain has fallen over the Appennine mountains in the Italian Regions of Emilia-Romagna and Le Marche, resulting in catastrophic flooding in the lower valleys and coastal basins of at least twenty-four different rivers. Sadly at least six people have lost their lives, with many others having to be rescued from submerged cars and buses....or, by helicopter from the roofs of their houses. Several towns and villages have had to be evacuated.
This has had a major effect on rail transport in the affected area. The East Coast Main Line ('Ferrovia Adriatica') is closed between Bologna and Falconara Marittima (near Ancona) and all regional trains in the area have been cancelled, including on the Ferrara-Ravenna-Rimini, Castel Bolognese-Ravenna, Faenza-Ravenna and Faenza-Borgo San Lorenzo lines. High speed services between Bologna and Firenze are running at reduced speed. The Milano-Lecce and vice-versa overnight sleepers are diverted from Bologna via Firenze, Terontola, Foligno (reverse) and Falconara Marittima, with delays of up to three hours. A few long distance Frecciarossa and InterCity sevices are also following the same diversion, but are severely constricted by pathing on the single lines between Terontola and Foligno & Foligno and Iesi.
It is not yet clear when services will be able to return to normal as, once the floodwaters have subsided, a large route kilometerage of track will have to have have to be thoroughly checked for damage to both the permanent way and signalling equipment....plus there will be the ever-present danger of landslides - both above and below the lines - once the floodwaters subside.
The bad weather is now moving off towards Southern Italy and Sicily, so we shall see what happens there.
This has had a major effect on rail transport in the affected area. The East Coast Main Line ('Ferrovia Adriatica') is closed between Bologna and Falconara Marittima (near Ancona) and all regional trains in the area have been cancelled, including on the Ferrara-Ravenna-Rimini, Castel Bolognese-Ravenna, Faenza-Ravenna and Faenza-Borgo San Lorenzo lines. High speed services between Bologna and Firenze are running at reduced speed. The Milano-Lecce and vice-versa overnight sleepers are diverted from Bologna via Firenze, Terontola, Foligno (reverse) and Falconara Marittima, with delays of up to three hours. A few long distance Frecciarossa and InterCity sevices are also following the same diversion, but are severely constricted by pathing on the single lines between Terontola and Foligno & Foligno and Iesi.
It is not yet clear when services will be able to return to normal as, once the floodwaters have subsided, a large route kilometerage of track will have to have have to be thoroughly checked for damage to both the permanent way and signalling equipment....plus there will be the ever-present danger of landslides - both above and below the lines - once the floodwaters subside.
The bad weather is now moving off towards Southern Italy and Sicily, so we shall see what happens there.
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