Catania Metro train at Porto Station.
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Overview | |||
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Locale | Catania, Sicily, Italy | ||
Transit type | Rapid transit/metro | ||
Number of lines | 1 | ||
Number of stations | 7 | ||
Website | Circumetnea.it | ||
Operation | |||
Began operation | 27 June 1999 | ||
Operator(s) | Ferrovia Circumetnea | ||
Number of vehicles | 8 FCE M.88 | ||
Technical | |||
System length | 5.7 km (3.5 mi) | ||
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||
Electrification | 3 kV DC electric traction | ||
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Elettrotreno FCE M.88 | |
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In service | 2008–present |
Manufacturer | Firema Trasporti S.p.A. |
Constructed | 2008–2011 |
Number under construction | 14 two-car trains |
Number built | 8 |
Formation | 2-car permanently coupled sets |
Capacity | 442 |
Specifications | |
Car body construction | aluminum |
Doors | 8 sets per car |
Electric system(s) | 3000 V DC overhead pantograph |
The Catania Metro (Italian: Metropolitana di Catania) is a classical metro system serving the city of Catania, Sicily, in southern Italy. It is the southernmost metro in Europe.
The Catania Metro has been in operation since 27 June 1999, and consists of a single 5.74-kilometre (3.57 mi) line with seven stations. The line is underground for approximately 3.94-kilometre (2.45 mi) of its length (between the stations of Borgo and Stesicoro). Until the extension to Stesicoro opened on 20 December 2016, service frequency was limited to once every 15 minutes because the line was single-tracked for half of its length (over the at-grade section between stations Galatea and Porto), hence trains operated as shuttles.
The section of the line between the stations of Borgo and Porto originally belonged to the Ferrovia Circumetnea narrow-gauge regional railway which was constructed in 1895.
For the operation of the metro, this portion of the rail line was converted to standard gauge and mostly moved underground into a double track 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi)cut-and-cover tunnel, except for the part of the route adjacent to the coast which runs on the surface for 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) and which is single tracked. Thus, the narrow-gauge Circumetnea railway's original terminus at Catania Porto had to be moved to Borgo due to the development of the Catania Metro.