New High-Speed Train Will Help Connect Rome And Pompeii’s Iconic Heritage Sites

Soon, tourists will be able to make the trip from Rome to the city of Pompeii in just a single trip, with Italy planning a high-speed railway that will bridge two of the most iconic heritage sites in the country.

The development, which is expected to cost €35 million (US$38 million), will see the nation set up a new train station and transport hub. According to The Art Newspaper, the facilities will be located adjacent to the popular Pompeii archaeological site.

At the moment, as per the publication, the quickest way for travelers to get from Rome to Pompeii involves changing trains in Naples, including hopping on board a regional service that stops along a dozen coastal towns throughout the arduous, two-hour 250 km (155 miles) journey.

Nearly three million visitors flocked to the ancient venue last year, alongside seven million who visited the Colosseum in the capital. The hub will allow for these tourists to make an additional stop on the existing train line connecting Rome to Naples and Salerno.

Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said the forthcoming connection will be “a cultural asset” for the nation, believing that it will provide “a great opportunity” in terms of civic and economic development. Work on the hub will start immediately, and is scheduled to be completed by 2024.

In addition, the railway will allow passengers to stop at the Villa Dei Misteri, part of the Circumvesuviana network, to switch onto trains to other archaeological sites such as Ercolano, Oplontis, and Stabiae.

Overall, the hub will make up part of the Great Pompeii Project, an EU-funded project to reinstate the site. Naples newspaper Il Mattino posited the upcoming facility could double visitor numbers to Pompeii from 20,000 to over 40,000 daily.

[via The Art Newspaper and ARTnews, images via various sources]