Bologna Centrale railway station

Bologna Centrale
View of the station building in 2006
Location	Piazza delle Medaglie d'Oro 40121 Bologna Italy
Coordinates	44°30′21″N 11°20′30″E / 44.50583°N 11.34167°E / 44.50583; 11.34167Coordinates: 44°30′21″N 11°20′30″E / 44.50583°N 11.34167°E / 44.50583; 11.34167
Owned by	Rete Ferroviaria Italiana
Operated by	Grandi Stazioni
Line(s)	Milan-Bologna (high-speed) Milan-Bologna (traditional) Verona-Bologna Padua-Bologna Bologna–Ancona Bologna–Florence (high speed) Bologna–Florence (traditional) Bologna–Vignola Bologna–Portomaggiore Bologna–Pistoia
Distance	96.908 kilometres (60.216 mi) from Firenze Santa Maria Novella
Platforms	27
Construction
Architect	Gaetano Ratti
History
Opened	1864; 153 years ago (1864)
Location
Bologna Centrale Location within Northern Italy

Bologna Centrale is a railway station in Bologna, Italy. The station is situated at the northern edge of the city centre. It is located at the southern end of the Milan-Bologna high-speed line, which opened on 13 December 2008, and the northern end of three lines between Bologna and Florence: the original Bologna-Florence line through Porretta Terme and Pistoia; the Bologna–Florence Direttissima via Prato, which opened on 22 April 1934 and the Bologna-Florence high-speed line, which opened to traffic on 13 December 2009.

Bologna Central Station is the fifth-busiest in Italy in terms of passenger movements (about 58 million passengers per year). It is, however, one of the busiest, along with Rome Termini Station, for the number of train movements per day (about 800).

There are two levels of railway tracks within the station complex: Bologna Centrale and Bologna Centrale (AV) alta velocità (high speed). The central part of Bologna Centrale contains through tracks for high-speed trains (except Frecciarossa trains which travel only on the Milan-Bologna high-speed line), intercity and regional trains. In addition, there are two groups of side tracks: the western side has six tracks for regional trains from Milan or Verona (with Bologna Centrale as a terminus) and the eastern side has six tracks for regional trains from Prato, Ancona and Pescara (with Bologna Centrale as a terminus).

In July 2008, Andrea Maffei Architects, Arata Isozaki & Associates, Ove Arup & Partners and M + T & Partners won a competition to design a new station, Bologna Centrale (AV), for high-speed trains between Milan and Florence. The proposal was selected by architect Gae Aulenti, as president of the International Competition Jury, and Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, the main entity behind the competition. The station uses light in its design, with the internal courtyards of the bridged station creating poles of light. Inside the station it is possible to see the levels below, and different shapes of windows were designed for the courtyards.