Faenza railway station is situated at Piazza Cesare Battisti, at the northern edge of the city centre.
History
Faenza's original station was opened on 1 September 1861, together with the rest of the Bologna–Forlì section of the Bologna–Ancona railway. It was located to the east of the present station, near what is now Via Caldesi. In 1893, upon the inauguration of the Faentina railway to Florence, the present station was opened to replace the original station. However, the relocation of the station to a less central site necessitated the construction of a road link between the city centre and the new facility. This led to the destruction of the city walls, and the distortion of the fabric of the urban village of Ganga. The 1893 passenger building was later destroyed by a bombing raid during World War II. It was rebuilt in 1948 by architect Roberto Narducci, who had already rebuilt several railway stations in the post-war period. In 2009, Centostazioni and RFI completed a general restructuring of the property and the adaptation of technological systems in accordance with legal requirements. The proposed Metropolis project of the comune of Faenza would reclassify the space outside the station, and particularly the goods yard. It would also involve the construction of new housing estates, and a new bus terminal and bike paths.
Features
Passenger building
The passenger building is constructed in an evidently Italian rationalist style typical of the stations designed by Narducci. It is shaped like a rectangular parallelepiped on two levels. At ground floor level, there are two large openings with rectangular sides. Upstairs, a large window illuminates and atrium inside the building. Extending laterally from each side of the passenger building are two asymmetrical single storey buildings in brick. These house the equipment rooms and the restaurant and bar. Beyond the outer end of each of these two buildings, there is another building on three levels, not open to travellers.
Track 1: on the main Faentina line, is used by Faentina line trains;
Track 2: a loop siding, is also part of the Faentina line;
Track 3: on the main Bologna–Ancona line, is generally used by even-numbered stopping trains ;
Track 4: also on the main Bologna–Ancona line, is generally used by odd-numbered stopping trains ;
Tracks 5, 6 and 7: are loop sidings generally used for trains terminating in Faenza, or for any overtaking.
All passenger tracks have a platform sheltered by a canopy. The platforms are connected with each other by a pedestrian underpass. There are also other tracks used for the storage of rolling stock not in service. The rolling stock stored there includes many ALn 668 1900 series railcars, and several :it:Minuetto |Minuetto series diesel multiple units. Both of these types are used on the lines radiating from Faenza.
Train services
The station is served by the following service:
High speed services Milan - Parma - Bologna - Ancona - Pescara
The station has about 2.6 million passenger movements each year. The passenger trains calling at the station are regional, express, InterCity and Frecciabianca services. A total of about 140 passenger trains serve the station each day. Their main destinations are Bologna Centrale, Ancona, Rimini, Milano Centrale and Piacenza.
