Modena railway station is situated at Piazza Dante Alighieri, to the north of the city centre.
History
The station was opened on 21 July 1859, together with the rest of the Piacenza–Bologna section of the Milan–Bologna railway.[2]
Features
Passenger building
Platform side of the passenger building.
The passenger building is not the original structure dating from when the station began operations. That building was demolished and rebuilt in 1920.
The present passenger building is rectangular in shape and is made of brick. It is painted yellow, and consists of three parts. The central part is spread over three floors, with access provided through five arches on each side of the building. On the first floor of this part, there are many rectangular mullioned windows decorated with a cornice.
The two lateral parts of the building extend symmetrically from the central body. They are on two levels, with seven arches at ground floor level, and many windows (similar to those of the central body) at first floor level.
The entrances of all three parts of the building are protected from the weather by a wrought iron canopy, both on the front side and the platform side.
Renovations
Between 2005 and 2006, the station was the subject of extensive renovations commissioned by Centostazioni, with co-financing from RFI. The total expenditure on the renovations was €700,000.
The renovation work included maintenance of the exterior facade of the passenger building, the shelter and pedestrian underpass, upgrading of technological systems, construction of a new basement, the renovation of public conveniences, and renewal of lighting both internally and externally.
Also included in the renovation project was the construction of new commercial premises, such as a Chef Express bar and a McDonald's. These two areas alone have about 40 employees, a turnover of €2.5 million, around 500,000 customers per year, and two rental areas of 360 sqm, offering a total of about 130 seats.
Station yard
The station yard has seven tracks, including five through tracks equipped with platforms:
Track 1 is a loop siding, used for any overtaking of even numbered trains.
Track 2 is one of the main lines, used for even numbered stopping Trenitalia trains.
Track 3 is the other main line, used for odd numbered stopping Trenitalia trains.
Track 4 is a loop siding, used for any overtaking of odd numbered trains.
Track 5 is used by trains terminating in Modena.
Tracks 6 and 7 are used by Ferrovie Emilia Romagna trains operating on the Modena–Sassuolo line.
All tracks have a platform sheltered by a canopy, and connected with the other platforms by the pedestrian underpass.
There are other tracks used for storage of the machinery used for line maintenance, and also a repair shop.
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