The Opicina Tram

[londontransit]

Some will perhaps know this is the world's only hybrid tramway/funicular system. The Tram di Opicina operates from the famous seaside city of Trieste to Opicina as a normal street tramway - but for part of the way it becomes a funicular in order to overcome much of the near 1000 foot elevation difference between the two locations.

The tramway has been closed since 2016 when a collision between two tram cars occurred on the upper section of line. Since then attempts to rebuild and upgrade the line have been marred by scandals such as the company (with convictions) accepting the contract to rebuild the tramway and then ripped up the tracks before its criminal convictions were discovered! In the recent trial into the accident, one of the tram drivers was found guilty of dangerous driving and sentenced to eight months.

I wrote about the Opicina Tram last year and today I have published an update detailing what is currently happening. The good news is work recommenced a couple of weeks ago to relay the tracks and bring the tramway up to required new standards - so it looks as if it might possibly reopen in 2022, six years after it last operated!

Opicina Tram - an update.

(Edited to add Wikipedia has an article on the tramway if anyone is interested.)

 

[AndrewE]

That is good news. We planned - and had - an Adriatic holiday to end up there, mainly to go on the tram, only to find that it had just closed down!
Maybe we shall be able to visit again in the next year or two...

 

[AlbertBeale]

Yes - thanks for sharing this excellent news. I used it a couple of times, years back. Once "touristically", and once in order get to where I wanted to go!

Though with some Trieste-Slovenia trains running again after decades in abeyance, one use for the tram - to get from Trieste to (near) the Slovenian rail system - will be less important.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I used Tram 402, on a journey from Ljubljana to Venice, just 2 months before the crash in 2016.
This is passing the unfortunate 404 coming up, at the bottom of the cable section (tractor unit visible at the back of 404):


Hard to believe the line has been shut for over 5 years.
The replacement bus does the job, but without the history and character of the tram.
I know you can do the whole journey by mainline train now (using the 28.5 km loop via Bivio d'Aurisina), but only once a day.
If SŽ regular local services from Ljubljana continue to terminate at Villa Opicina/Opčine, the tram will still be useful.

 

[theageofthetra]

That article is worth a read. Can't believe someone drove their car down the funicular section!

 

[londontransit]

Yes - thanks for sharing this excellent news. I used it a couple of times, years back. Once "touristically", and once in order get to where I wanted to go!

Though with some Trieste-Slovenia trains running again after decades in abeyance, one use for the tram - to get from Trieste to (near) the Slovenian rail system - will be less important.

Thanks. BTW its a very long detour from Trieste to Slovenia as I well remember!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Jan 2022 ==

That article is worth a read. Can't believe someone drove their car down the funicular section!

LOL! What amazes me is the fire brigade had to use one of the side roads and place planks across the tracks so their appliance could access the stricken car!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Jan 2022 ==

I used Tram 402, on a journey from Ljubljana to Venice, just 2 months before the crash in 2016.
This is passing the unfortunate 404 coming up, at the bottom of the cable section (tractor unit visible at the back of 404):
View attachment 108218

Hard to believe the line has been shut for over 5 years.
The replacement bus does the job, but without the history and character of the tram.
I know you can do the whole journey by mainline train now (using the 28.5 km loop via Bivio d'Aurisina), but only once a day.
If SŽ regular local services from Ljubljana continue to terminate at Villa Opicina/Opčine, the tram will still be useful.

A great picture! You were lucky!

Yes the train from Trieste to Villa Opicina entails a very long detour as you point out. 28km just to get three km distant!

 

[AndrewE]

Thanks. BTW its a very long detour from Trieste to Slovenia as I well remember!
Yes the train from Trieste to Villa Opicina entails a very long detour as you point out. 28km just to get three km distant!

but it is a thousand feet of ascent too... Maybe the mountains won't allow any shorter approach without silly tunnelling?

I remember that trip from when we went from somewhere to Ljubljana (we actually got off at Postojna) in 1980. SWMBO just looked it up and it was a through train, the Simplon Express, an overnight departure from Paris after an overnight ferry to get there. After doing the caves we stayed overnight and then took a night train direct to Kardeljevo (aka Ploce) then bus down the coast to Dubrovnik. Bus on again to Bar and train back to Beograd. An epic journey with 2 small boys!

(I can't stand not having a map as we travel, without following one I can't imagine that anyone can have any concept of where they have been... but maybe there are uebermenschen who can understand everything instantly, maybe more who don't care!)

 

[AlbertBeale]

but it is a thousand feet of ascent too... Maybe the mountains won't allow any shorter approach without silly tunnelling?

I remember that trip from when we went from somewhere to Ljubljana (we actually got off at Postojna) in 1980. SWMBO just looked it up and it was a through train, the Simplon Express, an overnight departure from Paris after an overnight ferry to get there. After doing the caves we stayed overnight and then took a night train direct to Kardeljevo (aka Ploce) then bus down the coast to Dubrovnik. Bus on again to Bar and train back to Beograd. An epic journey with 2 small boys!

(I can't stand not having a map as we travel, without following one I can't imagine that anyone can have any concept of where they have been... but maybe there are uebermenschen who can understand everything instantly, maybe more who don't care!)

Indeed - I'm sure I've never travelled without the relevant map(s) with me. Otherwise you might as well close your eyes and wake up somewhere else without knowing where it is - or caring, more like, given some package holidaymakers I've encountered. The "travel" seems irrelevant to some people.

 

[bspahh]

In 2018 I used https://www.goopti.com/ to get from a hotel near Trieste airport to Ljubljana. It took 75 minutes door to door, in an 8 seat minibus. I paid about £20 a head, when I booked a couple of days in advance, I was flexible for timing within a couple of hours and shared the ride with other people. They then gave me a precise time a bit beforehand.

 

[Austriantrain]

Thanks. BTW its a very long detour from Trieste to Slovenia as I well remember!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Jan 2022 ==


LOL! What amazes me is the fire brigade had to use one of the side roads and place planks across the tracks so their appliance could access the stricken car!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Jan 2022 ==


A great picture! You were lucky!

Yes the train from Trieste to Villa Opicina entails a very long detour as you point out. 28km just to get three km distant!

There is actually a second railway line, much shorter, going from Opicina to the former Trieste Campo Marzio station, which is now a museum. I am not sure how much this line ist currently used for freight - there has certainly been no passenger service for decades (Wikipedia says since 1959).

 

[etr221]

The 'main line' from Trieste C.le to Villa Opicina (via Aurisina) is the old Sudbahn mainline from Vienna via Ljubljana (Laibach in German), built in the 1840s-50s - the Carso/Karst section into Trieste was I believe originally regarded as much a wonder as the better known section over the Semmering.

The line from Trieste Campo Marzio (now a railway museum) up to Villa Opicina was built by the kkStB, opened 1906 as the southern end of the Transalpina/Wocheinerbahn - it was built as an alernative (to the SB) link from Bohemia to the sea - one of Europe's 'failed' mainlines as first war came within a decade, and after that it had to cross a whole series of frontiers...

The railway (and general) history of Trieste is quite fascinating - at one stage they were running fairly regular tours 'Binari Sconosciuti di Trieste' (Unknown tracks of Trieste), from Centrale to Campo Marzio via Opicina.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The 'main line' from Trieste C.le to Villa Opicina (via Aurisina) is the old Sudbahn mainline from Vienna via Ljubljana (Laibach in German), built in the 1840s-50s - the Carso/Karst section into Trieste was I believe originally regarded as much a wonder as the better known section over the Semmering.
The line from Trieste Campo Marzio (now a railway museum) up to Villa Opicina was built by the kkStB, opened 1906 as the southern end of the Transalpina/Wocheinerbahn - it was built as an alernative (to the SB) link from Bohemia to the sea - one of Europe's 'failed' mainlines as first war came within a decade, and after that it had to cross a whole series of frontiers...

It's ironic that more than 100 years on, the north-south trunk routes are back in fashion now the EU and its Schengen borders have restored something like the old "Austrian empire" linked economies.
The one route which doesn't seem to be being reinstated/upgraded is the largely single-track Rudolfsbahn network via Selzthal.
But we do have the Pontebba*, Brenner, Koralmbahn and Südbahn major upgrades, plus linked improvements in CZ and PL, all to reach Italian ports.
Even the Karawanken tunnel has been refurbished, but as a single-track line.
Slovenia is also building a new line from Divača to its port of Koper, south of Trieste.

*I was intrigued to note that the ÖBB/RFI border at Tarvisio is at km 401, the distance being that via the Rudolfsbahn from St Valentin on the Westbahn near Linz.

 

[Austriantrain]

The one route which doesn't seem to be being reinstated/upgraded is the largely single-track Rudolfsbahn network via Selzthal

Everything is still operational so doesn’t need to be reinstated. The Pyhrnbahn Selzthal - Linz is in a very slow process of being upgraded with partial double-tracking. I suspect, once Semmering and Koralm are done, it will be the „next major frontier“ - the Bosruck tunnel at least will need to be replaced because it is falling apart. Apparently the EU will include it on its strategic list, so Upgrades will receive EU money.

Selzthal - St Michael is double-track.

I suspect that Selzthal- Bischofshofen will remain at it is. When the Koralmbahn opens, it will be relegated to a regional rail line and I don’t see a lot of change coming there.

Selzthal - Hieflau - Kleinreifling is the major question. It has no significance for passenger services and for freight, it mainly serves as overflow to the capacity-limited Pyhrnbahn. Once that is upgraded, I think parts of the former Rudolfsbahn are in danger of closing.

 

[londontransit]

There is actually a second railway line, much shorter, going from Opicina to the former Trieste Campo Marzio station, which is now a museum. I am not sure how much this line ist currently used for freight - there has certainly been no passenger service for decades (Wikipedia says since 1959).

One of the Opicina tram's cable tractors (no.1 of the 1978 pair) resides at the Campo Marzio museum.

 

[londontransit]

Someone left a comment on my blog giving feedback on the Opicina Tram! Its very encouraging to know that work to upgrade the tram system should be finished sometime during February.

After that its down to the Italian authorities including USTIF (Ufficio Speciale Trasporti a Impianti Fissi) - Italy's special transport office for fixed installations - to approve the Opicina tram as being fit for public operation. So its looking like it might possibly be March or April before this happens and the tramway is open once again.

 

[37201xoIM]

Someone left a comment on my blog giving feedback on the Opicina Tram! Its very encouraging to know that work to upgrade the tram system should be finished sometime during February.

After that its down to the Italian authorities including USTIF (Ufficio Speciale Trasporti a Impianti Fissi) - Italy's special transport office for fixed installations - to approve the Opicina tram as being fit for public operation. So its looking like it might possibly be March or April before this happens and the tramway is open once again.

Excellent - thanks for the update.

 

[AlbertBeale]

There is actually a second railway line, much shorter, going from Opicina to the former Trieste Campo Marzio station, which is now a museum. I am not sure how much this line ist currently used for freight - there has certainly been no passenger service for decades (Wikipedia says since 1959).

Sounds right - there was no sign of an alternative passenger station when I was first in Trieste in the '60s.

One of the Opicina tram's cable tractors (no.1 of the 1978 pair) resides at the Campo Marzio museum.

 

[riceuten]

I visited and used the tram in the 1990s, when there was some poor sod in a tractor dragging the trams up and down the incline. I remember the Villa Opicina railway station being about 15 minutes walk from the tram stop (no fun with a heavy rucksack and bags, as I recall). The view across the gulf was breathtaking. I also remember a lot of the passengers speaking Slovene rather than Italian, Opicina being a Slovene minority in the area (and a majority in Opicina)

 

[AlbertBeale]

I visited and used the tram in the 1990s, when there was some poor sod in a tractor dragging the trams up and down the incline. I remember the Villa Opicina railway station being about 15 minutes walk from the tram stop (no fun with a heavy rucksack and bags, as I recall). The view across the gulf was breathtaking. I also remember a lot of the passengers speaking Slovene rather than Italian, Opicina being a Slovene minority in the area (and a majority in Opicina)

The first time I went to the end of the tram line in Opicina, many years back, I wasn't there to connect into the onward rail system but just for a spur-of-the-moment trip on the line, and a visit to a random outlying part of the Trieste area. But when I got off the tram, I rather felt as though I was in the middle of nowhere, with almost no-one around; Opicina didn't seem to have an obvious "centre" (and I had no idea which way the mainline station was, since I hadn't had any reason to check that before getting the tram). The main point I noted was how all the municipal notices around the place were in both Italian and Slovenian.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The tram did originally go to the Südbahn (FS) station, but was cut back in 1939 and there's no evidence of it today.
It's a relatively easy 15 minute walk, but not helpful if you have any luggage or the weather is bad.

 

[londontransit]

Its good to see all these posts, never thought the Opicina tram would have so many followers!

As some have pointed out the tram used to go to Villa Opicina station itself. I expect the fact there was two major railway routes from Trieste to Opicina (one from Trieste C.le and the other from Trieste Campo Marzio) sort of forced the company to concentrate on a route that was sustainable rather than be in direct competition with these railway routes.

 

[MotCO]

Google maps https://www.google.com/maps/@45.682...4!1sgbEfY9Jg54tEXx-I1YWdsQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 shows Villa Opicina and tramway works on images dated January 2022. This shows the progress being made near the terminal.

 

[etr221]

It's perhaps worth pointing out that the story of the stations in Villa Opicina isn't exactly simple.

A very short summary:
The original (SB) station, sometime Opicina Campagna, was opened in 1864, a few km from the town (or village)
The Transalpina/kkStB line (from Trieste CM) was opened in 1906, with its own Opicina station, much closer to the town (which grew out to it). A 2km connecting curve to the SB line and station was built at the same time (whether it had a passenger service, or was only for freight interchange, I don't know, I suspect the latter).
Between 1956 and 1963 there was a major project, with the Opicina (Transalpina, ex kkStB) station being totally rebuilt, and the former SB line diverted to run through it (with new new connections to/from the mainline), the old (SB) main line (with Opicina Campagna station) being closed and dismantled. The Jugoslavs (now Slovenes) built a new connection from the main part of their section of the ex kkStB Transalpina/Wocheinerbahn round to Sezana, through their territory to avoid having to go into Italy, and the direct line into Villa Opicina has subsequently been abandoned.
That gives the current situation...

The tramway was opened in 1902 (originally with a rack section, later converted to funicular), extended to the (then new) kkStB station in 1906.

Also worth noting is that the former SB line, from Trieste C.le, very much goes the long way round - it's about 30 km to Villa Opicina. The Transalpina line is about 15km down to Trieste CM. In both cases there is climb of about 400m involved! Whether either ever had a reasonable local service I doubt (although I believe there have been proposals in relatively recent years. This compares to the tram being only about 5 km.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

That's an interesting history, I hadn't realised I'd used the TA station rather than the original SB.
It mirrors the area map in the Schweers & Wall atlas, with dates and politics included.
On the tram route, you cross the two heavy rail approach lines to Trieste CM where they are both in tunnel, but I wonder if it is possible to view a Transalpina freight train from the tram near the Conconello stop, where the line briefly leaves its tunnels slightly to the west?
I imagine Trieste CM is now quite a busy port from the rail point of view, but that might not actually be the case.

 

[AlbertBeale]

That's an interesting history, I hadn't realised I'd used the TA station rather than the original SB.
It mirrors the area map in the Schweers & Wall atlas, with dates and politics included.
On the tram route, you cross the two heavy rail approach lines to Trieste CM where they are both in tunnel, but I wonder if it is possible to view a Transalpina freight train from the tram near the Conconello stop, where the line briefly leaves its tunnels slightly to the west?
I imagine Trieste CM is now quite a busy port from the rail point of view, but that might not actually be the case.

I presume the two (partly in tunnel) freight routes from Trieste CM are both operational still? (That is, the one up to Opicina and the one joining the main line out of the city - with junctions in both directions - a couple of miles out from Centrale?) If so, and there were some way of building a new junction/curve facing the other way, beyond where those two lines fork after coming from CM, then that could provide a route from Centrale up to Opicina, and on to the border, which was only half the distance of the current route 10 miles up the coast and back again. If freight can manage those gradients, then passenger trains ought to be able to. Or if not, what chance is there of the tram being (re)extended on up to Villa Opicina station? The lack of connection for (would-be) international travellers is a pain.

 

[Cloud Strife]

The lack of connection for (would-be) international travellers is a pain.

Judging from other international connections in Slovenia, it's unlikely that any such connection would have more than a few travellers a day. The journey from Ljubljana to Trieste is torturous by train, and completely uncompetitive against coach transport.

Is it possible for trams to use railway lines? If so, then maybe a better answer would be for trams to reach Sežana instead?

 

[Tren]

There is actually a second railway line, much shorter, going from Opicina to the former Trieste Campo Marzio station, which is now a museum. I am not sure how much this line ist currently used for freight - there has certainly been no passenger service for decades (Wikipedia says since 1959).

Hello, I came across this forum and this discussion via an internet search. I've been scratching my head to work out where the railway bridge that runs behind Sissa goes to and from. If I trace the track on google maps it seemed to go to Opicina on one end, and the other end goes down towards Campo Marzio, which I didn't know the name of, or even realize it was a station, until I saw this thread. I tried to look at the departures from Opicina, and this route is not listed, so I guess it doesn't carry passengers or doesn't stop at Opicina. At first I thought it was the mythical 'tram' everyone mentions but I have never seen, but I'm pretty sure it is a train. (Sorry I don't think I even now the difference). Anyway, I do sometimes see a train run on the railway bridge, as have my colleagues based in Sissa. It's just a single car and it goes pretty fast. One time I looked at my watch, and it was about 12.05pm local, on some weekday that I don't remember. I thought it might be fun to ride on it, but I couldn't find any info on it until now. I'm pretty sure it is the line that you are discussing. Thanks for any other info you may have.

 

[MotCO]

Hello, I came across this forum and this discussion via an internet search. I've been scratching my head to work out where the railway bridge that runs behind Sissa goes to and from. If I trace the track on google maps it seemed to go to Opicina on one end, and the other end goes down towards Campo Marzio, which I didn't know the name of, or even realize it was a station, until I saw this thread. I tried to look at the departures from Opicina, and this route is not listed, so I guess it doesn't carry passengers or doesn't stop at Opicina. At first I thought it was the mythical 'tram' everyone mentions but I have never seen, but I'm pretty sure it is a train. (Sorry I don't think I even now the difference). Anyway, I do sometimes see a train run on the railway bridge, as have my colleagues based in Sissa. It's just a single car and it goes pretty fast. One time I looked at my watch, and it was about 12.05pm local, on some weekday that I don't remember. I thought it might be fun to ride on it, but I couldn't find any info on it until now. I'm pretty sure it is the line that you are discussing. Thanks for any other info you may have.

There are a number of on-board videos on Youtube which may help show the route of the tram - have you seen these?

 

[30907]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I am no expert on Italy but:

I presume Sissa means the International School for Advanced Studies SISSA? If so, the tramway follows the main road quite closely and crosses your access road Via Boromeo, so that's ruled out.

You can certainly see the historic Transalpina railway down to Campo Marzio. A quick Google suggests the line has been reopened for freight traffic, but not for passengers; there is also a railway museum at CM.

I wonder if you saw a single locomotive running down or up the steep gradient? Or a railcar (did it have windows all along? If, so, yes it was!) - perhaps to take staff to and from CM, or for driver training? Or possibly an historic car )from the railway museum, but that seems less likely.

 

[Crossover]

Google maps https://www.google.com/maps/@45.682...4!1sgbEfY9Jg54tEXx-I1YWdsQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192 shows Villa Opicina and tramway works on images dated January 2022. This shows the progress being made near the terminal.

There is also a recent image where there is a tram on the line:

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