Arona
The Arona-Novara railway: a journey through history
The Arona-Novara railway is a historic Italian railway line that connects the city of Arona, located on Lake Maggiore, to Novara. The infrastructure and railway facilities are managed by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, a subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato, which classifies it as a complementary line.
The history of the Arona-Novara railway is closely linked to that of the Novara-Alessandria railway line. The project of a railway line between Alessandria, Novara, and Lake Maggiore was conceived during the period of maximum construction fervor by the Kingdom of Sardinia, which under the Ministry of Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, had rapidly built the Turin-Genoa railway and the Turin-Fossano-Savona railway. The Arona-Novara railway line was designed as a long branch of the Turin-Genoa line to improve connections between the port of Genoa and Switzerland through the natural route guaranteed by the Ticino river.
The Royal Patents of 1845, which established the basis for the construction of the Sardinian State railways, provided for the possibility of a railway line branching off from the Alessandria station to reach the shores of Lake Maggiore. The works began in the late 1840s and proceeded slowly, as Piedmont waited for a long time for a response from the Swiss cantons regarding the construction of a tunnel under the Lucomagno pass, upon which future decisions about the railway route to Arona or an alternative connection to Locarno would depend.
In 1853, in the absence of certainty about the development of the Swiss network, it was decided to terminate the railway line at the lakeside city of Novara and organize ferries with the Swiss location. The first openings took place in 1854: the section between the Alessandria station and Mortara was inaugurated on June 5, Novara was reached the following month (July 3), while the section up to Arona was opened on June 14, 1855. The whole Alessandria-Novara-Arona line was inaugurated on the following Sunday, June 17, in the presence of Cavour, Urbano Rattazzi, Giacomo Durando, and Pietro Paleocapa.
Management of the Arona-Novara railway
With Law No. 2279 of May 14, 1865, the ownership of the Piedmont State Railways lines, including the Arona-Novara railway, was transferred to the Alta Italia Railways Company (SFAI) of the Südbahn group. Ten years later, with the redemption of the SFAI-owned lines established by the Basel agreements, the line returned to the ownership of the Italian State, while the operation remained temporarily entrusted to the private railway company. The 1885 Conventions resolved the provisional situation by bringing together the state lines west of Milan within the Mediterranean Network, leased for sixty years to the Mediterranean Railways Company.
Traveling on the Arona-Novara railway
Today the Arona-Novara railway is a very important railway line that allows you to connect Lake Maggiore to the city of Novara and the national railway network. Traveling on the Arona-Novara railway is a real journey through the history of Italian railways, with enchanting landscapes and breathtaking views. The railway line runs through the Piedmont countryside, with numerous stations and stops where it is possible to admire many places of interest.
Among the main stations are Arona, which offers a panoramic view of Lake Maggiore, and Novara, located in the historical city center. Traveling on the Arona-Novara railway also allows you to reach some tourist destinations such as Stresa, known for its enchanting gardens and the view of the Borromean Islands.
The future of the Arona-Novara railway
The future of the Arona-Novara railway is very promising, with numerous expansion and infrastructure improvement projects underway. Among the main projects in progress are the construction of a direct connection with the city of Milan and the construction of a new station in Novara, capable of improving accessibility and reducing waiting times for passengers.
Furthermore, the Arona-Novara railway has been included in the list of priority projects of the European Commission in the transport sector, which envisages significant investments to improve the efficiency of the railway line and reduce travel times. The Arona-Novara railway is therefore an important infrastructure for the development of the territory and the economy of the region, guaranteeing a fast and efficient connection between Lake Maggiore and the national railway network.
