Le ferrovie nella seconda metà del XX secolo, collegamenti di territori e modi di viaggio

This article proposes to examine rail transport in the second half of the 20th century. During this time, rail transport competed with automobile and air transport. The former gives a sense of freedom of movement, whereas air transport is unbeatable in terms of rapid travel. Rail transport suff ered from its image as a slow and antiquated form of transport, and as such was forced to reinvent itself. The railways took the opportunity to design new, more modern, comfortable and faster rolling stock. European integration has also played a vital role in establishing international links. As a result, the new legislation created the Trans Europ Express group, which provides fast and convenient rail service between the major economic, political and tourist centres of Western Europe. Rail transport also cultivated a style of travelling, especially across long distances, such as night trains, which experienced a real golden age during those years. Environmental issues began to be addressed in the early 1970s, following the oil shock, and some politicians began to mention air pollution in their speeches, highlighting the need to boost railway transport and to foster coordination between the various modes of transport.