With 1 million inhabitants (about 3 million in the metropolitan area), Naples is Italy's third largest city and the centre, both touristic and industrial, of southern Italy. The Naples metropolitan area boasts a large variety of urban and suburban railways, all integrated into the Uniconapoli/Unicocampania fare system.

Besides the emerging metro system, Naples also maintains a small tram system

Naples' first metro line, the so called METROPOLITANA COLLINARE (hill subway), now Line 1, opened in 1993 between Colli Aminei and Vanvitelli, the line was extended to Piscinola in 1995 reaching a length of 8 km (4 km underground between Vanvitelli and Colli Aminei).

As can be seen on the map, from Vanvitelli the metro line runs in a loop down towards the city centre through a steep (5.5 %) curved tunnel to reach the Salvator Rosa station via Quattro Giornate. Stations between Garibaldi and Toledo will be at sea level. From Vanvitelli northwards, the line literally winds its way up the mountain to reach its highest point at Policlinico (268 m above sea level at station entrance) and then descend again (mainly on a viaduct) to the terminus at Piscinola (126 m). The Vanvitelli - Museo (Cavour) section has been in service since 5 April 2001. Dante station opened in March 2002, while Materdei station took until 5 July 2003 to be finished. Until 14 Dec 2002, Line 1 operated a 30-minute shuttle between Dante and Vanvitelli. Now the line is in regular service with trains every 6 minutes. Since 28 March 2011, a single-track shuttle has been operating every 15 minutes between Dante and Università stations, not stopping at intermediate stations which are still under construction. Special emphasis was put on artistic design of the stations on the newest section. Line 1 is operated by Metronapoli SpA.

In 2003, the total length of the line was 13.5 km with 14 stations.

28 Mar 1993 - Vanvitelli - Colli Aminei
19 July 1995 - Colli Aminei - Piscinola
05 April 2001 - Vanvitelli - Museo (except Materdei station)
27 Mar 2002 - Museo - Dante
14 Dec 2002 - regular service Dante - Piscinola
05 July 2003 - Materdei station added

28 Mar 2011 - Dante - Università (nonstop shuttle service)
17 Sept 2012 - Toledo station added

Montedonzelli | Policlinico | Chiaiano

More Line 1 station photos here!

METROPOLITANA FS, now Line 2, is an urban, mainly underground service offered by FS (Ferrovie dello Stato/Trenitalia - Italian National Railways) between Gianturco and Pozzuoli (14.5 km) on the Direttissima Rome-Naples main line opened in 1925. Metropolitan trains run aproximately every 8 minutes sharing tracks with some regional trains.

Garibaldi | Piazza Amedeo | Campi Flegrei

Line 6 is a 2.3 km light metro line with four stations. It will be 5.8 km long when it reaches Municipio in 2013. Line 1 is operated by Metronapoli SpA.

The construction of Line 6 began in the 1980s to create a Metrotranvia between Mostra in the west and Ponticelli in the east, with underground sections in the city centre and surface routes with level crossings in outer areas. Scheduled to be completed for the 1990 Football World Cup, the line was not opened in time and was later included in an overall transportation programme, now as a light metro. It opened on 04 Feb 2007 from Mergellina to Mostra.

Mostra | Augusto | Lala

More Line 6 station photos here!

The 'Linea Arcobaleno' (Rainbow Line) is a 10.2 km suburban service operated by MetroCampania NordEst on a new underground route, which was opened in 2005 from Piscinola-Scampia to Mugnano, and extended to Aversa Centro in 2009, partly along the old alignment of the Alifana railway, which it replaced; two-car trains (ex-Rome metro A vehicles) run every 15 minutes. Each station is identified by a different colour, hence the nickname of the line. In the future, this line will share the line 1 route between Piscinola and the city centre.

Aversa Centro| Aversa Ippodromo | Piscinola-Scampia

More photos of the Linea Arcobaleno

San Giorgio a Cremano | Piazza Garibaldi | Pompei Scavi

In the overall master plan, Lines 3 and 4 constitute the urban stretches of the Circumvesuviana narrow-gauge suburban network. Both lines were upgraded with double track and initially offer a train every 30 minutes. Line 3 is 12 km long and has 11 stations, 8 of which are underground. The first stretch runs along the line to Baiano, after Botteghelle a 750 m link opened in 2004 towards Madonnelle on the San Giorgio - Casalnuovo line, in service since 2001. Line 3 and 4 cross at Vesuvio/De Meis. The Circumvesuviana also provides an important service with trains running every 30 minutes to Sorrento, Poggiomarino via Pompei, Sarno, Baiano and Acerra.

12 Feb 2001 - San Giorgio - Madonnelle - Volla
29 May 2004 - Botteghelle - Madonnelle link

Boscotrecase | Vesuvio-De Meis | Porta Nolana

The Ferrovia Cumana provides a suburban service along the coast from Montesanto to Torregaveta, with trains every 10 minutes to Bagnoli, and every 20 minutes to Torregaveta. The urban section is to be upgraded as part of Line 7.

Montesanto | Montesanto | Fuorigrotta

The Ferrovia Circumflegrea provides a suburban service from Montesanto to Torregaveta, but further inland than the Cumana, with trains every 20 minutes to Licola. To be upgraded as Line 5 up to Pianura and doubled all the way to Quarto.

Both lines, the Cumana and the Circumflegrea are standard gauge and operated by SEPSA.

Pozzuoli | La Trencia | Pianura

A total of four funiculars operate in the city of Naples, all of them an important part of the city's transport system. Three of them link different parts of the city centre to the Vomero district, which lies some 200 m above the old town: 1) Funicolare di Montesanto; 2) Funicolare Centrale; 3) Funicolare di Chiaia. The Funicolare di Mergellina runs from the Mergellina port area to the Posillipo hill.

Funicolare di Montesanto | Funicolare Centrale | Funicolare di Chiaia | Funicolare di Mergellina

 Projects

Naples is currently carrying out the most important public transport project in Italy by expanding the network and upgrading existing suburban lines into metro lines. Phase 1 will create a metro network of 53 km with 68 stations (23 of which will be newly built):

Line 1 (Metro) will become a ring line via the airport and central station.
Line 2 (FS) will be extended east to San Giovanni
Line 5 (Circumflegrea): additional station at Cilea to create an interchange with Line 1 via elevators.
Line 6 is extended from Mergellina to Municipio and will be 5.8 km in 2013; at the western end an extension is planned through the BagnoliFutura redevelopment area to terminate at Porta del Parco.
Line 7 (Circumflegrea/Cumana) will be a kind of loop line using partly existing lines, plus an underground link between the Cumana and the Circumflegrea: Montesanto - Soccavo Monte Sant'Angelo - Zoo-Edenlandia - Montesanto
Line 8 Campi Flegrei - Dazio, new 5 km underground route for the Cumana, to be connected to Line 2 at Campi Flegrei

In a later stage, Line 9 will be built as a new 3.8 km metro line with 6 stations linking Museo and Colli Aminei on Line 1, and Line 10 to run from Museo to the new railway station at Afragola.

Ivanoe De Falco's Napoli Transport Site includes all projects

LA METROPOLITANA DI NAPOLI - nuovi spazi per la mobilità e la cultura.
- Published by Electa Napoli, 2001 (in collaboration with MN Metropolitana di Napoli spa)