Prato–Bologna Direttissima

The 1934 Direttissima under the Apennines: an 18.5 km base tunnel, then the second longest in the world, and 180 km/h where the old line over the pass managed 75.

The direttissima (“most direct”) was Italy’s greatest piece of engineering in the first half of the twentieth century, and when it opened in 1934 it cut out the old winding Porrettana route over the Apennines by Pistoia. What made it possible was the 18.5 km Apennine Base Tunnel. The high-speed line that replaced it for the fastest trains opened on 5 December 2009 and is 78.5 km long, of which 73.8 km are in tunnel.

Stations

1. 0 kmPrato Centrale
2. 10 kmVaiano
3. 20 kmVernio-Montepiano-Cantagallo
4. 40 kmSan Benedetto Sambro-Castiglione Pepoli
5. 45 kmGrizzana
6. 55 kmMonzuno-Vado
7. 64 kmPianoro
8. 67 kmMusiano-Pian di Macina
9. 72 kmRastignano
10. 74 kmBologna San Ruffillo
11. 76 kmBologna Mazzini
12. 77 kmBologna San Vitale
13. 80 kmBologna Centrale +7

The stations this train called at in the operator’s timetable (ÖBB Scotty, the R 17804 on 12 October 2026), in order along the line as drawn here, with the distance along it. Other runs of the train may skip some of them, and the timetable can change. A +N after a station: N other routes on this map stop or end there, and the map draws it as a station where lines meet.

Along the way

• Prato
• The climb to Vernio
• The 18.5 km Apennine Base Tunnel
• Bologna

How this line was checked

• Line drawn from OpenStreetMap relation 7345503: the same nodes OpenStreetMap holds for this railway, thinned to within under 25 m of them
• Checked against OpenStreetMap: the whole line lies on real track, a median 2 m from it
• Checked against the running timetable via ÖBB Scotty: our line sits under 100 m from the shape of R 17808
• Wikipedia has an article for this line
• See for yourself: open this line on the map with OpenStreetMap's own railway drawn underneath it

Questions and answers

How long is the Prato–Bologna Direttissima?

The Prato–Bologna Direttissima runs 80 km from Prato to Bologna.

How long does the Prato–Bologna Direttissima take?

The fastest scheduled journey is ≈ 1 h 14 min for the 80 km. That is an average of 65 km/h end to end. The line's top service speed is 180 km/h.

Who runs the Prato–Bologna Direttissima?

Trenitalia, with Regionale.

How old is the Prato–Bologna Direttissima?

The line has been in service since 1934. That is the year the atlas dates it from: for a modern brand running over an older railway, it is the railway's date, not the brand's.

How often does the Prato–Bologna Direttissima run?

18 direct trains on a weekday (counted on 2 September 2026).

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