Zaha Hadid-designed train station in Naples to begin service

After a series of delays, the first phase of the massive Napoli Afragola Station initially proposed in 2003 and designed by Zaha Hadid has been inaugurated by Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni.

Billed as “the new gateway to south of Italy,” the rail station, located just north of Naples in Afragola, serves as a hub to four high speed inter-city lines, three inter-regional lines, and a local commuter line. As such, it connects 15 million residents of Campania, Puglia, Molise, Calabria, and Sicily with the national rail network in the northern part of the country, as well as with the rest of Europe.

The station, characterized by Hadid’s signature swoops and lines, was designed as an “urbanized public bridge” that connects neighborhoods on either side of the railway, and is, according to a press release, defined by passengers’ routes.

This passageway spans eight railway tracks and, in addition to establishing the station’s main concourse, encompasses all departure, arrival, and connection services and facilities and provides direct access to all platforms below. A central atrium lined with cafes and shops adds a public meeting spot for passengers.

As for the station’s construction, it incorporates a reinforced concrete base, an elevated concourse of Corian-clad steel ribs, and a glazed roof. Public train service will begin next month.