The Network
The total length of active lines is 16,723 km (10,391 mi), of which 7,505 km (4,663 mi) are double tracks. RFI (Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, Italian Rail Network), which administers most of the Italian rail infrastructure, divides lines into 3 categories:
- fundamental lines (fondamentali), which have high traffic and good infrastructure quality, comprise all the main lines between major cities throughout the country. Fundamental lines are 6,131 km (3,810 mi) long;
- complementary lines (complementari), which have less traffic and are responsible for connecting medium or small regional centers. Most of these lines are single track and some are not electrified;
- node lines (di nodo), which link complementary and fundamental lines near metropolitan areas for a total 936 km (582 mi).
Most of the Italian network is electrified (11,921 km (7,407 mi)). Electric system is 3kV DC on conventional lines and 25kV AC on high-speed lines.
Read more about this topic: Rail Transport In Italy
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