# VATICAN CITY | Railways



## Coccodrillo (Sep 30, 2005)

The smallest recognized country in the world recently saw its first regular and public international train service since the line was built decades ago.

The line is around 1 km long and electrified only on the Italian section, until the border gate. As the service is operated by a couple of Minuetto EMUs, one pushes the other in the non electrified section on arrival, and tow it when departing.

There is a return trip every Saturday to Castel Gandolfo (home to a papal residence and extraterritorial territory).

The line until now have seen only rare special passenger and freight trains, one or two times a year at most, although the Italian section is sometimes used to park trains (never crossing the border). The line was double track, but one has been removed 15 years ago to make way to a footpath. The section on Vatican territory is just 300 m long and ends in a stub tunnel.

http://www.ferrovie.it/portale/leggi.php?id=1358

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Vatican_City


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

Splendid. It is really great how they make use of that cute train station and the infrastructure which is already there anyway. And regular tourist trains to Castel Gandolfo is also a very nice way, environmental friendly and stylish way to connect the Vatican museums with this new museum at Castel Gandolfo.


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

Any plans to Electrify the line?


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## zaphod (Dec 8, 2005)

I wonder if one of those railcar mover things could be used to tug a emu the short distance.

Train repair facilites often have what are essentially tiny remote control 'locomotives' about the size of a golf cart that can push or pull lighter transit rail vehicles slowly over short distances.


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## Coccodrillo (Sep 30, 2005)

Nexis said:


> Any plans to Electrify the line?


No, it would be necessary to destroy or modify the historical gate, which today isn't acceptable, even if the gate itself was built destroying part of the original wall.

Anyway, there is no real need to electrify the last metres of the line. Longer EMUs that are sometimes used there for charter trains, like the ETR 600, are long enough so that there is always a pantograph under the wires.


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## lowrence (Jul 31, 2007)

What about the stub tunnel, was there any plan in the past to longen the line, as the station is not a terminal station?


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## Coccodrillo (Sep 30, 2005)

I really doubt, the stub tunnel has likely been built just to allow manoeuvres without consuming too much space and ruining the gardens.


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