Good afternoon everyone! Today I want to propose you a small private Italian network, partially independent from the usual RFI (national) network. This is the combo of the Arezzo-Stia and Arezzo-Sinalunga railways, also known as Casentinese(1st) and Chiana Valley(2nd) railways. Managed by a private operator, they're located in Eastern Tuscany (Central Italy). Both lines have as their operational hub the beautiful and historic City of Arezzo, located between the magnificent hills and valleys that border Umbria, Marches and Emilia Romagna! From there, the two routes branch off, reaching the north-eastern border of the region (Arezzo-Stia) and the Central Tuscany Railway (Arezzo-Sinalunga). A purely commuter/regional experience, basing on the two proposed routes, as well as occasional freight and stock movement services! This is my TFT Network: Arezzo to Stia and Sinalunga! GENERAL FEATURES This network features: - 84km(52.2mi) total network length. - 2 distinct and converging routes (44 and 40 km long). - 2x interchange nodes with RFI network. - Stop on request, PIS & vocal/bells announcements. - One depot, some sidings and companies served along the way. - Complete secondary line experience. - Regional/commuter traffic + occasional freight, stock movement and railtours. The line is served by: - Full single track, standard gauge (1435 mm/4 ft 8+1⁄2 in), electrified 3kV DC OHLE (Italian standard network voltage) (both lines). Except for Arezzo RFI common area (multiple tracks) & Sinalunga RFI track 1-2 (unelectrified). The path is equipped with: - RB (Radio Block), RBC (Radio Block Centre) operated; - ERTMS/ETCS L2 installed and operational (SCMT until 2023), as safety system adopted. - GSM-R (GSM F) regards comm.&signalling. Max gradient: - 1.75%(17.5x1000) on Arezzo-Stia & 1.38%(13.8x1000) on Arezzo-Sinalunga. Max permitted speed: - 70-100 km/h(43-62 mph) on Arezzo-Stia, 90-110 km/h(56-68mph) on Arezzo-Sinalunga. The network is managed by: - LFI s.p.a. (The Italian Railway), regarding infrastructure and general management. Passenger & freight services are operated by: - TFT s.p.a. (Tuscan Rail Transport). All part of the LFI Group (private company). Operator's website: https://www.trasportoferroviariotoscano.it/en/ STATIONS This network includes 17 active stations/stops on the Arezzo-Stia line, 9 active stations/stops on the Arezzo-Sinalunga line + 1x closed. The calls are, as follows: ----Arezzo-Stia------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - (Pratovecchio) Stia terminal, with passenger sidings. - Pratovecchio stop. - Porrena station. - Poppi station. - Memmenano stop [on request]. - Bibbiena station. - Bibbiena Corsalone stop. - Rassina station. - Santa Mama stop [on request]. - Calbenzano station [on request]. - Baciano stop [on request]. - Subbiano station. - Capolona stop. - Giovi station. - Puglia-Ceciliano stop [on request]. - Arezzo Casello 1 stop [on request]. ----Arezzo-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To Florence. - Arezzo RFI station, with freight/passenger sidings. To Rome. ----Arezzo-Sinalunga----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Arezzo Pescaiola station, with dedicated depot/sidings. - Arezzo Via Chiari stop [on request]. - S.Giuliano d'Arezzo station (closed), now heritage stock depot. - Civitella-Badia al Pino station. - Albergo stop [on request]. - Monte S.Savino station. - Lucignano-Marciano-Pozzo station. - Foiano della Chiana stop [on request]. To Siena/Empoli. - Sinalunga RFI station (only track 3 electrified). To Chiusi. Reference depot is: - DL Arezzo Pescaiola (TFT). NETWORK PLAN Top: General view of the network. All stations/stops are indicated. North on left! Red: Arezzo-Stia Railway. Blue: Arezzo-Sinalunga Railway. Bottom: Detail of the Arezzo area. North on top! PASSENGER SERVICE Basically, there are two independent regional services here, one per route: RTFT 1: Arezzo RFI<-->Stia [regional stopper]: 32 services/day(16+16). 2Tph/1Tph-2h (rush hours/other times) both directions. Average travel time: 1h50min. Some stops are on request. 2025 Timetable: https://www.trasportoferroviariotoscano.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/OP-LINEA-AREZZO-P.-STIA.pdf RTFT 2: Arezzo RFI<-->Sinalunga RFI [regional stopper]: 28 services/day(14+14). 2Tph/1Tph-2h (rush hours/other times) both directions. Average travel time: 1h. Some stops are on request. 2025 Timetable: https://www.trasportoferroviariotoscano.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/OP-LINEA-AREZZO-SINALUNGA.pdf There's also a railtour day, which usually takes place once a year March/September. FREIGHT SERVICE Freight service is quite sporadic on this network. It includes: Arezzo-Stia) - Concrete elements collection (beams, panels etc...) Baraclit Bibbiena-->Arezzo RFI sidings (random monthly basis). - Heritage stock movement (service/restoration) OMS Porrena<-->Arezzo RFI (same as above). Arezzo-Sinalunga) - Steel delivery (sheets, coils etc...) Arezzo sidings-->SVI Lucignano (same as above). There's also a good ballast movement, supported by dedicated sidings at some stations. ROLLING STOCK - ETT 21-24 Coradia Meridian "Elfo", ETR 425 Coradia Meridian "Jazz", ETR 104 Coradia Stream "Pop" EMUs, for TFT regional/commuter services. Similar to their Trenitalia counterparts. 3 (ETT 21-24)/4 (ETR 425/104)cars, 3kV DC OHLE powered and capable of 160km/h(100mph). Here we have all the evolution timeline of Alstom EMUs in Italy, from early 2000s to time! - D.744 Effishunter 1000 Diesel-electric heavy shunter + Rns (poled bogie flatbed) & Faccs (ballast bogie hopper) Wagons, for TFT freight services. Ultra-modern and powerful heavy shunter, Cat C32 V12 powered+AC transmission. Capable of 80km/h (50mph). A selection of 2 most used wagons is included. LAMPOIL This proposal respects all the DTG process points, except for licensing/access, which remains a big question mark! May be implementation issues with the ERTMS system? STATIONS PICS Left: Arezzo RFI terminal station. City's main rail hub, located on Florence-Rome old line. Right: Arezzo Pescaiola station, TFT operational hub & depot. A) Giovi station. B) Civitella-Badia al Pino station. C) Monte S.Savino station. D) Sinalunga RFI terminal station, located on the Central Tuscany Railway. Please, put your LIKE here first, Thank You! Continue Below...
Page 2 A) Subbiano station. B) Bibbiena station. C) Porrena station. D) (Pratovecchio) Stia terminal station, equipped with passenger sidings. NETWORK PICS A) Arezzo general view. B) San Donato Hospital. C) Arezzo airstrip(general aviation). D) Chiana Valley view. A) Ponte a Chiani Rail Bridge over the Main Chiana Canal. B) Monte S.Savino view. C) SVI Lucignano plant, connected to our network. D) Upper Sinalunga, visible from the station. A) Fioraia's Castle near Subbiano. B) Casentino Valley near Calbenzano. C) Colacem plant/quarry near Rassina. D) New Rail Viaduct variant near Bibbiena. A) Bibbiena view & its station. B) Baraclit freight link, 2km long. C) Poppi view & Guidi's Castle. D) Romena's Castle, Pratovecchio-Stia in the background. Also remember the presence of the "Silos"(next to Arezzo Pescaiola) and 2x historic viaducts on the Arezzo-Stia Line! Let me know yours, if you like my idea or want more info about! Caravatt .
It would be nice to have it open so you could walk around and take in all the beauty, provided it was done properly.
