As the main point of arrival and departure of rail passengers between the mainland and Sicily, the station is a rail facility of national importance. In terms of passenger movements, it is the second busiest station in the Reggio Calabria urban area, and one of the busiest in the region. Additionally, it is a transit point for all of the goods transported by rail between the mainland and Sicily.
Location
Villa San Giovanni railway station is situated at Piazza Stazione, at the western edge of the town centre. It occupies Villa San Giovanni's waterfront area, between the town centre and the ferry terminal for ferries to Sicily.
History
The station was opened on 20 May 1884, together with the rest of the 12 km (7.5 mi) long section of the Southern Tyrrhenian railway between Reggio Calabria Lido (then named Reggio Calabria Succursale) and Villa San Giovanni.[1]
Soon afterwards, the construction company, the Società Vittorio Emanuele,[2] handed over the facility to the new Società per le Strade Ferrate del Mediterraneo (English: Company for the Mediterranean Railways). The latter company eventually completed the Southern Tyrrhenian railway in 1895. In that year, the importance of the station grew significantly, because for travellers coming from Sicily it was more convenient to take a ferry straight to Villa San Giovanni than to travel, as before, via the port of Reggio Calabria.
On 1 March 1905, the station was connected by a new short railway with the Villa ferry port. This development facilitated the introduction of ferry services carrying railway rolling stock.
As time went on, the importance of Villa San Giovanni gradually increased, to the detriment of Reggio Calabria, as the Tyrrhenian rail route to central and northern Italy was shorter than the alternative route via the Jonica railway. Movement of rail traffic across the Strait of Messina was also increased and strengthened by the introduction of Villesi cradles. The passenger building was built in 1937, as a project of architect Roberto Narducci.
Services
As of the December 2023 timetable change,[update] the following services stop at Villa San Giovanni:[3]
.jpg){kind=small}