Sardinian Railways
Born at the end of the nineteenth century to link the interior of the island with the coast and cities, Sardinian Railways, then called Secondarie, was set up to provide “light” economical service using narrow-gauge tracks.
Built surprisingly quickly and efficiently in a few years’ time, trains reached villages which had often been isolated for centuries, passing through remote interior areas along a winding route that followed the surrounding terrain.
We can still see spartan nineteenth-century architecture in the bridges and stations, and rocks on the slopes of hills have been cut out just enough to let the train through.
The rediscovery of the train as a means of transport and the birth of railway tourism have halted the decline in passengers.
Some of the abandoned stretches have been in part revitalized for tourist purposes, for example as bicycle paths; others, like the Tresnuraghes-Bosa Marina, have been put back into service.
Of the four surviving lines, large stretches are now used as the route of the Trenino Verde.