Ferrovie della Sardegna - FdS - www.simplonpc.co.uk

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	Ferrovie della Sardegna - FdS ARST SpA (Trasporti Regionali della Sardegna) This page is still under construction All images link to larger copies which will open in a new window/tab
	This page shows images of the Ferrovie della Sardegna (Sardinian Railways), the 950mm gauge lines of Sardegna (Sardinia) operated by ARST Gestione FdS, later ARST SpA (Trasporti Regionali della Sardegna). Three 950mm gauge railway systems remain in operation in Sardegna, located in the north, west and south-east of the island. A fourth network existed in the south-west, but this system is now closed. There are five lines which continue to provide regular daily public transport services. Some of these are being modernised and even electrified. In addition, four connected sections run tourist services in summer. These typically run just once a week using diesel-hauled trains, since there were problems with steam locos causing fires. I have made visits on cruises to Alghero and Cagliari, allowing some photography of the systems in the north and south-east. I have not visited the system based on Macomer in the west. Table of Operating Railway Lines in Sardegna A Brief History of 950mm Gauge Railways in Sardegna The 950mm gauge railway from Cagliari running north to Isili and Sorgono was opened by the Strade Ferrate Secondarie della Sardegna (SFSS) in 1889. The section from Isili to Sorgono is now only used by occasional tourist trains. A long branch was also built from Mandas to Arbatax on the coast, also still available for tourist trains. A second company began operations in 1915, when the Ferrovie Complementari della Sardegna (FCS) opened a link from the SFSS to Villacidro and Ales (now closed). The ambitious FCS took over the SFSS in 1921 and also opened a line from Alghero to Sassari. A third company Strade Ferrate de Sarde (SFS) opened other lines in the north from Sassari to Nulvi and Palau Marina plus a short line to Sorso. In 1947, both FCS and SFS were taken over by Rome-based La Ferrotranviaria. FCS and SFS remained independently managed, but the FCS lines in the north were transferred to the SFS. A fourth narrow gauge system was the Ferrovie Meridionali Sarde (FMS) in the south west, linking Calasetta to Iglesias and Siliqua, both on the standard gauge FS system, opened to exploit coal in the area as late as 1926. FCS and SFS modernised their passenger services with railcars in the late 1950s. These Fiat AD railcars are substantially-built, mainly diesel-electric vehicles. They are capable of 75kph and the upgraded tracks allow such speeds to be maintained. Their superb streamlined ends are very distinctive and they were completed in various batches for the different Sardinian railways FCS, SFS and FMS between 1957-59, with the SFS deliveries being diesel-mechanical. Matching control trailers run with the power cars. Six standard Fiat ADe railcars were also delivered to the FMS in 1959 after their takeover by the state in 1952. All the collieries had closed by 1960 and FMS passenger services ceased in 1969 and 1975. The FMS railcars passed to the FCS in 1975. The FMS railcars had different gearing to those delivered to FCS and SFS, allowing a top speed of 90kph. In 1989 the FCS and SFS were taken over by the local government to form Ferrovie della Sardegna (FdS), since 2008 know as ARST Gestione FdS and later ARST SpA (Trasporti Regionali della Sardegna). Some more angular railcars were built for FdS by Breda in 1995/96.

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I visited Cagliari in October 2010 on the Celebrity Eclipse of Celebrity Cruises.

In Cagliari the trains originally ran to a station at Repubblica, a trolleybus ride from the docks. The Monserrato to Repubblica section is now used by the Cagliari Metro. A short extension links the original FdS Monserrato-Stazione to the new Metro station at Monserrato-Gottardo. We travelled to Monserrato-Gottardo on the Metro and found the station to be unstaffed and with no timetables for any FdS services running. Most trains do not stop at Monserrato-Stazione although it maintains station staff and has a buffet/bar, but we walked there to find out what train services, if any, were running. The FdS website had mentioned that track upgrading was taking place on Saturdays.

The friendly station master appeared to indicate that all services were by bus. Normal services are three daily returns to Isili (2hr 35min), four more as far as Mandas (1hr 15min), and four short returns to Dolianova (25min). If trains had been running we would probably only have had time only to go to Dolianova. Added to our disappointment at the lack of trains, the Monserrato railway museum was also shut on Saturdays (although the website suggested otherwise).

At this point a railcar arrived and rattled through the station round to Gottardo. We then discovered that better communication was possible with the station master in French. He explained that the train only ran 4km to Settimo, before transfer to the bus. This was better than nothing and we bought return tickets to Settimo. The station master contacted the train so that it would make a special stop to pick us up. At Settimo the few passengers transferred to a bus and we had 20 minutes to wait until the return to Monserrato-Gottardo. We then returned by tram and trolleybus to the town centre.

In 2009 we visited Alghero on Queen Victoria. We tendered ashore and walked to Alghero San Agostino - only 2km but felt much further in August heat. It is a shame that the railway was cut back to San Agostino - it used to run down to the sea front and then along to the port where tenders had dropped us.

Alghero is on a branch to Sassari, from where there are other branches to Sorso and Nulvi. The line continues from Nulvi across the north of Sardinia to Palau on the coast, but this is classed as a Trenino Verde which receives minimal maintenance, and is used by summer tourist trains only, typically in one day a week. This runs on Wednesdays only (we were there on a Tuesday) from Sassari to Tempio (about half way to Palau), with a connection from Alghero at 8.07am. This trip gives a lengthy five hours in Tempio, not returning passengers to Alghero until 19.18 - quite a long day. According to the web timetables for our visit, we could catch the 9.47am to Sassari, and then the 11.00am into the mountains at Nulvi. Unfortunately the trains between Alghero and Olmedo had been 'bustituted' due to major track rebuilding, with train between Olmedo and Sassari. Trains left Sassari at the published times, but returned from Olmedo almost immediately. The 9.47am bus departure from Alghero was therefore put back to 10.04, giving a very tight connection onto the 11.00am from Sassari to Nulvi. In the event, we were delayed by a crew changes just outside Sassari and the 11.00am surprisingly departed exactly on time as I ran towards it. I did get some photos however. Having missed the onwards connection we immediately returned to Alghero.

Images of a trip on the Tren Verde tourist service from Tempio Pausania on the Sassari-Palau line by Mike Tedstone in 2011, as he describes below:-

Whilst on a week's cruise onboard Thomson Destiny from Palma, Majorca, one of the shore excursions on offer from the half-day call at Olbia, Sardinia on Tuesday 11 October 2011 was to an island railway - location unspecified - for a charter-train ride through the countryside of north-eastern Sardinia, to include wine-tasting and local delicacies. Two bus-loads of passengers left the port of Olbia and after an hour's tour through gentle, hilly countryside arrived at the town of Tempio Pausania. No maps were available, but it soon became obvious that the charter-train ride was to start from the very large (but otherwise disused) station which was roughly midway on the narrow-gauge route linking Sassari (in the NW of the island) to Palau, in the north. Despite the notional 1030 departure the diesel-loco only came off shed at 1020, and the two carriages (each with about 64 seats) were still being watered at 1030. No former railway land appeared to have been flogged off despite the effective withdrawal of all services in (I think) the 1990s, after which the Tren Verde tourism initiative appeared to have prompted resurrection of very occasional tourist runs, plus charters such as this for Thomson Cruises.

The train set off on what was described as a roughly two and a half hours journey, with the snacks plus wine stop after about an hour and a quarter at an unnamed but newly provided halt, with generous shelter from the sun, near a lake. This stop was of fundamental importance to many of the passengers, rather than being aimed at railway enthusiasts, with emphasis on the local nature of what was on offer. Duly refreshed, the train was re-boarded for about a half-hour run to Arzachena, a good few miles short of Palau on the coast. Here were waiting the buses for the run back to Olbia ferryport, where - amongst others - the old Tor Britannia had arrived from Civitavecchia during the morning, now sailing as Moby Drea, complete with Looney Tunes images. Thomson Destiny then left at around 1400 for her final call at Mahon, Menorca the next day. It should be noted that such advertised public trips that did run in 2011 on this section of the once-extensive Sardinian metre-gauge network had long since ceased after the summer period, making the charter train the only means of seeing the railway in the Autumn.