Siena–Grosseto railway

Siena-Grosseto railway line
The line near Monte Antico
Overview
Status	in use between Siena and Buonconvento (suspended between Buonconvento and Montepescali)
Owner	Rete Ferroviaria Italiana
Locale	Tuscany, Italy
Termini	Siena Grosseto
Service
Type	Heavy rail
History
Opened	1872 (Montepescali-Monte Antico) 1927 (Monte Antico-Siena)
Technical
Number of tracks	1
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	no
Route map from Empoli 55.849 Siena to Chiusi 45.231 Siena Zona Industriale 44.127 Isola d'Arbia 42.657 Ponte a Tressa 41.244 Cuna 39.621 Monteroni d'Arbia 40.336 Monteroni Sud 37.043 Lucignano d'Arbia 31.110 Ponte d'Arbia 27.068 Buonconvento 21.597 Torre Bibbiano 18.314 Murlo Salceta Pian delle Vigne-Camigliano from Asciano 232.437 Monte Antico 224.291 Civitella Paganico 216.276 Roccastrada 207.409 Sticciano from Livorno 199.410 Montepescali 187.644 Grosseto to Rome

The Siena-Grosseto railway line is an Italian railway line that connects the cities of Siena and Grosseto in Southern Tuscany.

History

The first connection between Siena and Grosseto was completed in 1872 by the Società per le Strade Ferrate Romane, first using the Central Tuscan Railway down to Asciano, before using the whole length of the Asciano-Monte Antico railway up to Monte Antico and continuing to Montepescali on the Tirrenica railway, before using this line to run into Grosseto.

In 1906, a proposal was submitted to construct a faster line between Monte Antico and Siena via Buonconvento. The contract to construct this line was awarded in 1910 to the Société Française de Chemins de Fer en Toscane, and the line began construction in 1923. Two years later, the contract was modified and the Società Italiana per Imprese Ferroviarie e Lavori Pubblici (SIF) was awarded the contract to finish the line, which it completed in 1927. The line was inaugurated on 30 May 1927, and served the old Madonnina Rossa station in Siena until the new station was completed in 1935.

The line suffered serious damage during the Second World War and was only reopened in 1951. In 1955, the FS took over operation of the line. On 16 June 1966, floods damaged large sections of the line, and along with the Asciano-Monte Antico railway, the line did not reopen until May 1980, during which period the line was modernised.

In October 2013, a flood washed away the trackbed near Murlo station, which meant the line was closed for a year between Buonconvento and Montepescali. The line has also been victim to other floods more recently that have caused the line to be temporarily closed on multiple occasions. Most recently, the line was closed between Buonconvento and Montepescali between 21 December 2022 and 10 December 2023 due to landslides between Buonconvento and Monte Antico. When service was reinstated on 10 December 2023, the service was reduced to only four direct trains between Siena and Grosseto, the remainder terminating at Buonconvento. Also, the station at Murlo no longer has any scheduled trains.

Traffic

The line is served by regionale trains operated by Trenitalia, which primarily connect Siena, Buonconvento and Grosseto. Some early morning and evening services continue to Empoli and Florence. On selected dates, Treno Natura historic steam trains are operated that use sections of this line as well as the Asciano-Monte Antico line.

Gallery

• 
  A diesel railcar on a Siena-Grosseto regionale service calls at the junction of Montepescali.
• 
  The depot of Siena showing the lines (closest to the camera) that run to Chiusi and Grosseto via Monte Antico respectively.
• 
  A historic diesel railcar stands at Monte Antico.
• 
  Civitella Paganico railway station.
• 
  Grosseto railway station, seen from platform 1.