Taranto railway station

Taranto
The passenger building.
General information
Coordinates	40°28′59″N17°13′26″E / 40.48306°N 17.22389°E / 40.48306; 17.22389
Operated by	Trenitalia Ferrovie del Sud Est (FSE)
Line(s)	Bari–Taranto (Trenitalia) Taranto–Brindisi Taranto–Reggio di Calabria Bari–Martina Franca–Taranto (FSE)
Distance	114.529 km (71.165 mi) from Bari Centrale
Platforms	10
Other information
Classification	Gold
History
Opened	15 September 1868 (1868-09-15)
Services
Preceding station Trenitalia Following station Gioia del Colle towards Milano Centrale Frecciarossa Terminus Metaponto towards Roma Termini InterCity Roma–Taranto Metaponto towards Reggio di Calabria Centrale InterCity Reggio Calabria–Bari/Lecce Gioia del Colle towards Bari Centrale Lecce Terminus Gioia del Colle towards Milano Centrale InterCity Notte Milano–Lecce Francavilla Fontana towards Lecce Massafra towards Bari Centrale Regionale Bari–Taranto Terminus Palagiano-Chiatona towards Potenza Centrale Regionale Potenza–Taranto Terminus Regionale Taranto–Brindisi Grottaglie towards Brindisi Preceding station Ferrovie del Sud Est Following station Taranto Galese towards Martina Franca Regionale Martina Franca–Taranto Terminus
Location Taranto Location in Apulia Show map of Apulia Taranto Location in Italy Show map of Italy

Taranto railway station (Italian : Stazione di Taranto) is the main station serving the city and comune of Taranto, in the region of Apulia, southern Italy. Opened in 1868, it forms a junction between three main lines, from Bari, Brindisi and Reggio di Calabria, respectively. It is also a terminus of a secondary line, the Bari–Martina Franca–Taranto railway.

The station is currently managed by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI). However, the commercial area of the passenger building is managed by Centostazioni. The station's main line train services are operated by or on behalf of Trenitalia. Each of these companies is a subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), Italy's state-owned rail company.

Regional train services on the Bari–Martina Franca–Taranto railway are operated by Ferrovie del Sud Est (FSE).

Location

Taranto railway station is situated at Piazza della Libertà, at the end of Via Duca d'Aosta. It is a short distance to the north west of the Ponte di Porta Napoli , the bridge over the natural channel between Taranto's Mar Grande and its Mar Piccolo.

The station is linked with the city centre by a combination of the Ponte di Porta Napoli, the Isola del Borgo Antico, and the Ponte di San Francesco di Paola, or Ponte Girevole (English: Swing Bridge), a well known symbol of Taranto. The latter bridge spans the artificial channel between the Mar Grande and the Mar Piccolo.

History

The station was opened on 15 September 1868, upon the inauguration of the Gioia del Colle–Taranto section of the Bari–Taranto railway. ^[1]

On 28 February 1869, Taranto was also connected with Metaponto, as the Società per le Strade Ferrate Meridionali (English: Company for the Southern Railways, SFM) had initiated the construction of the Jonica railway (Taranto–Reggio di Calabria). ^[1] On the same day, a connection between the station and the Port of Taranto was opened, as was the first section of the Battipaglia–Potenza–Metaponto railway that, once completed, would open the then-important rail link to Salerno and Naples.

In 1886, the Società per le Strade Ferrate del Mediterraneo (English: Mediterranean Railway Company) opened the Taranto–Brindisi railway. ^[1] When finished, it would secure the faster and safer rail connection between these two major railway stations and port locations. From that point onwards, Taranto station was shared by two railway administrations, Rete Adriatica and Rete Mediterranea .

Until the late nineteenth century, Taranto was an important railway junction for traffic in foodstuffs and timber from Calabria and Sicily to the Adriatic and the north. Its importance waned after the opening of the Southern Tyrrhenian railway, which diverted most of this traffic via Salerno and Naples.

The establishment of the Ferrovie del Sud Est (FSE) in 1931 created an additional source of regional traffic, via Martina Franca.

Features

The design of the passenger building is influenced by architectural styles that were in vogue in the mid-nineteenth century. It therefore consists of a two-storey central structure with a central clock tower, and two wings extending laterally for form one elevation.

Services

As of the June 2025 timetable change, ^[update] the following services stop at Taranto: ^{[2] [3]}

• Frecciarossa : high-speed service to Milano Centrale.
• InterCity#Italy: daytime and nighttime service to Milan, Roma Termini, Lecce, and Reggio di Calabria Centrale.
• Regionale: local service to Bari Centrale, Potenza Centrale, Brindisi, and Martina Franca.

Interchange

Local buses link the Piazza della Libertà, outside the station, with the city centre.

See also

• Trains portal
• Architecture portal
• Italy portal

• History of rail transport in Italy
• List of railway stations in Apulia
• Rail transport in Italy
• Railway stations in Italy

References

1. Alessandro Tuzza; et al. "Prospetto cronologico dei tratti di ferrovia aperti all'esercizio dal 1839 al 31 dicembre 1926" [Chronological overview of the features of the railways opened between 1839 and 31 December 1926]. www.trenidicarta.it (in Italian). Alessandro Tuzza. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
2. Trenitalia (15 June 2025). "In Treno Orario Digitale Tutt'Italia" [Tutt'Italia Digital Timetable](PDF) (in Italian). pp. 1922–1988, 2926–2927. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
3. Ferrovie del Sud Est (15 June 2025). "Orario ferroviario estivo dal 15 giugno al 14 settembre 2025" [Summer timetable from 15 June to 14 September 2025] (in Italian). pp. 7–26. Retrieved 15 August 2025.

External links

Media related to Taranto railway station at Wikimedia Commons

• Taranto on RFI (in Italian)