Roma Termini station is one of the most well-known features of Rome. Eight hundred trains and 600,000 passengers move in and out of it every day, making it the busiest railway station in Italy. It was built in 1867 so the facilities have, of course, been remodelled on a number of occasions, most recently in 2000.
There are twenty-four platforms for national and international routes, plus a further fours platforms for suburban lines. One of them is the Leonardo Express that takes passengers to Fiumicino airport. And there’s more. Roma Termini station is also the core of the public transport network in Rome and one of the most common meeting points in the city.
Almost everyone who travels to Rome goes through the station at some point. This might because they need to take the train during their holiday, because they need to take the Leonardo Express or because they want to travel on one of the many buses that leave from Piazza dei Cinquecento or arrive in the city on the buses that come from Ciampino airport.
Roma Termini has metro and bus links
As you might have guessed, the travel links from Roma Termini station are impressive. The two metro lines in Rome (lines A and B) meet there and outside, in Piazza dei Cinquecento, there is a bus station with a large number of routes going to areas right across the city. You can travel to the centre of Rome from there and the journey takes less than thirty minutes.
The tourist attractions around the station, however, are not exactly the best and, given the huge number of people passing through each day, it’s not the safest part of the city, either. Cheap accommodation, however, is plentiful.
Furthermore, Rome’s main train station also has a luggage drop service, a police station, a bookshop, a post office and metro and bus ticket offices. There is also a burger place, a cafeteria, a hairdresser and a chemist.
The background to Roma Termini station
Construction of Rome’s train station began in 1867. It was based on a design that architect Salvatore Bianchi had prepared for the Esquiline Hill. The station is named after a district of the same name which in turn took its name from the Baths of Diocletian. In the 16th century, Villa Montalto-Perretti was built in the area. It belonged to Pope Sixtus V and was eventually handed over to the Holy See. In the 19th century, it became the area where a huge train station would be built.
The original building quickly ended up being too small. An extension project began in 1939 under the management of Italian engineer and architect Angiolo Mazzoni. However, the work was put on hold due to the Second World War. Architects Montuori and Vitellozzi completed it in 1951.
Nowadays, Roma Termini station and its infamous exterior canopy (known as ‘the dinosaur’) is a point of reference both for locals and tourists and there is even a shopping centre – Forum Termini – inside.
Cinema has also made the station even more famous. Classics such as ‘Terminal Station’ directed by Vittorio de Sica in 1953 have been set there. The stars in this particular film included Jennifer Jones, Montgomery Clift, Gino Cervi and Paolo Stoppa.
Trenitalia: Italy’s main rail company
Trenitalia is the national Italian rail company and it runs trains of all kinds including local trains that stop at all the stations; high-speed trains (Frecciarossa, Frecciargento and Frecciabianca); mid and long-distance Intercity trains; regional trains; and the Intercity Notte or Euronight (overnight trains). Regular lines and boats also link the peninsula to the islands.
