Inadequate trains and few journeys: the railways in Sardinia are more than 40 years behind

Inadequate railway lines, very old trains and insufficient rides.

The picture of rail transport on the island that emerges from the Pendolaria 2023 report , released today by Legambiente on the ecological transition, is dramatic.

In Sardinia in 2021 304 journeys were made a day , of which 190 by Trenitalia and 114 by Arst, judged in the dossier "still too few and not very efficient" . In total Sardinia, with a total of 100 trains, has a total of 599 kilometers of railway network, 50 with double track and 549 with single track (98%), zero are the kilometers of the electrified network (the only region in Italy together with the d'Aosta), 91 the number of stations.

The average age of Arst trains on the historic narrow-gauge lines is over 45 years, while that of Trenitalia trains is just over 17 years old . A situation that "during 2023 will be partially improved by the purchase of 7 new Arst electro-diesel engines for the Monserrato-Isili section and 12 new Trenitalia Blues hybrid trains".

Among the most damaged lines is the Nuoro -Macomer , a narrow gauge line dating back to the end of the 19th century, with some adjustments made after the war. According to calculations by Legambiente, the approximately 57-kilometre route takes no less than 75 minutes with 6-7 trips a day only on weekdays, partially integrated by Arst buses.

Good news for the four historical lines of the Green Train , the Isili-Sorgono, Mandas-Arbatax, Macomer-Bosa and Sassari-Tempio-Palau, which will be the beneficiaries of the works envisaged in the 62 million euro investment plan entrusted to the management of the 'Arst with the resources of the Complementary Fund of the Pnrr.

«Sardinia, in order to be ready to stop polluting cars and comply with the objectives of the European Green Deal, will have to overcome an important infrastructural gap - explains Annalisa Colombu, president of Legambiente Sardinia -. We need an overall transformation in which private mobility will lose importance".

In 2021, the Region spent 15 million euros on the railway service and 41 on rolling stock, in total 0.64% of the regional budget.

(Unioneonline/D)