San Giovanni in Fiore
The Silana Railway: History and Decline of Passenger Service
The Silana Railway, or Cosenza-San Giovanni in Fiore, is a narrow-gauge railway located in the Calabria region. This railway has a particular cultural and scenic importance as it has been included in the list of tourist railways.
The project for a railway that would connect Cosenza to the port of Crotone had been developed since the end of the 19th century. Engineer Ugolini had worked on the project for the construction of the "Trans-silana Railway," an electric traction line.
The railway, managed by the Mediterranea Calabro Lucane (MCL) company, was only built halfway with two sections detached due to disputes between municipalities, private entities, and other institutions including the same railway operator. Over the years, the development of bus transport decreased the interest in completing the project. In 1952, a detailed project was drawn up for the construction of the missing 38 km section from San Giovanni in Fiore to Petilia Policastro; however, it remained on paper due to the collapse of traffic in the port of Crotone due to the exploitation of the forest heritage. The last section, from Camigliatello Silano to San Giovanni in Fiore, was inaugurated on May 6, 1956.
Suspended Passenger Service
In 1997, the section from Camigliatello Silano to San Giovanni in Fiore was suspended from regular service and only used for tourist trains. In 2008, passenger service was suspended from Spezzano onwards, and from February 1, 2011, regular passenger railway operation was discontinued beyond Pedace, maintaining service only on weekdays.
The Silana Railway, despite its historical and cultural value, has undergone a series of closures and suspensions of passenger service due to management issues and lack of interest from competent institutions for its management. Unfortunately, this situation has led to reducing the importance of this railway in the daily life of citizens and tourists visiting the region.
The Future of the Silana Railway
Despite the serious management problems that caused the suspension of passenger service, the Silana Railway continues to be considered an important cultural and scenic heritage of the Calabria region.
On the infrastructure front, over the years, some modernization work has been carried out on the railway network, such as the construction of the new double-track connection between the new Cosenza station and the old station, which created the new stops at Cosenza Campanella Station and Cosenza Monaco Station.
On the commercial front, new opportunities are being explored to attract investments and tourism as part of a local tourism development strategy. The promotion of the Silana Railway as a cultural and scenic heritage of the region could prove to be an excellent strategy to attract tourists and improve the local economy.
Despite the overall situation of the Silana Railway being currently difficult, it remains an important piece in the history of the Calabria region and could represent an excellent opportunity for the future tourism of the area.
