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Princess Cruises
Page 3: Alghero (Sardinia) - Wednesday 26th October
2011
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This page is one of a series showing mainly shipping
and other transport images from a 14 night cruise on Grand Princess in
October2011 from Southampton to the Mediterranean. We travelled in balcony
cabin C316, Deck 10 on the port side. This page covers our second port of
call Alghero in Sardinia.
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Princess Cruises
Page 3: Alghero (Sardinia) - Wednesday 26th October
2011
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Our second port of call was Alghero in Sardinia,
which was a tender port. We had priority tender boarding but this was not
needed as we easily got onto the first tender. Two tender pontoons were in
use, one initially used for tour passengers and the system seemed to work
very efficiently. It is amazing how easily crews manage to totally screw up
something as simple as running tenders, but Princess were excellent.
Once ashore we made for the FdS station from where the 950mm gauge railway
to Sassari and beyond runs. Sassari is the second largest city on Sardinia
after Cagliari. The line has been substantially rebuilt in recent years,
with all stations upgraded and various deviations involving large
embankments and viaducts have been created to speed up the trains. On our
last visit in 2009 'bustitution' was used for much of the journey. Only the
trains themselves let the system down - they need some smart new articulated
sets as used in Corsica and Provence.
In Sassari there are 950mm gauge lines to Sorso and Nulvi, although timings
did not permit travel on these routes. There is also the new Sassari Metro
which runs from Santa Maria di Pisa to Emiciclo Garibaldi via the station.
the Metro, 950mm gauge lines and buses on Sardinia are all run by the
unfortunate acronym a.r.s.t. (Transporti Regionali della Sardegna - which
does not even match). Sassari is also on the standard gauge FS line which
links Olbia in the north with Cagliari in the south, and there is a further
standard gauge branch from Sassari to Porto Torres. with trains converging
on Sassari station from six directions you might imagine that it is a busy
interchange. Services on most of the lines are sparse however, so it is very
quiet for much of the time (eg:- two trains a day to Nulvi).
Grand Princess off Alghero
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
Duomo tower in Alghero
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
Alghero from Grand Princess
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
Alghero Lighthouses & Harbour Lights
Capo Caccia Lighthouse
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
Lighthouse
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
Alghero breakwater light
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
FdS - Narrow Gauge Railway
Ferrovie della Sardegna - ARST Gestione FdS
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, 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 being
diesel-mechanical. Matching control trailers are available but not in use on
this visit. Six standard Fiat ADe railcars were also delivered to the FMS in
1959 after their takeover of the by the state in 1952. All the collieries
had closed by 1960 and passenger services ceased in 1969 and 1975. The
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). Some more angular railcars were built for FdS by Breda in
1995/96.
Breda railcar set 97/904 arriving at the Alghero terminus
from Sassari
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
Breda railcar set 97/904 at Sassari
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
Fiat railcar set 55/52/154 arriving at Sassari from
Sorso
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
Sassari Metro
Ferrovie della Sardegna - ARST Gestione FdS
Metro tram SS02 at the Santa Maria terminus
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
Metro tram SS03 leaving Stazione FS for Santa Maria
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
Metro tram SS03 at Stazione FS
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
Metro tram SS03 at Stazione FS
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
Metro tram SS02 near Piazza Marconi
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
Metro tram SS02 near Piazza Marconi
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
Metro tram SS02 at the Emiciclo Garibaldi terminus
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
Dotto train in Alghero
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
Dotto train in Alghero
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
Fiat 500 in Sassari
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
Sunset after leaving Alghero
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 26th October 2011
