Adriatic railway Adriatic railway The Adriatic railway (Italian: "Ferrovia Adriatica") is the railroad from Ancona to Lecce that runs along the Adriatic Coast of Italy, following it almost all of the way. It is one of the main lines of the Italian rail system and links the northern cities with the most important productive areas of central and southern Italy. The railroad was built by the Società per le Strade Ferrate Meridionali (Italian: "Company for the Southern Railways", "SFM"), between 1863 and 1872. In 1906, management of the line was taken over by Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane. In 1933, the southernmost Lecce-Otranto
Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Transport was created, including the general management of Ferrovie dello Stato, and in 1945, the company was renamed "Azienda Autonoma delle Ferrovie dello Stato". The period after World War II was particularly tough for Ferrovie dello Stato, since most of the Italian rail network was severely damaged and the rolling stock was obsolete. The network was rebuilt almost entirely by 1952. Since then, a period of renewal started. New trains were introduced, among them the ETR 300, and many sections of the national network were electrified and sometimes doubled. In 1957, the new ALn 442/448 multiple unit was introduced, greatly