Casalmaggiore–Ponte Majocche Tramway
The Casalmaggiore–Ponte Majocche tramway was a tramway branch built as an extension of the line from Cremona that connected Casalmaggiore to the Ponte Majocche tram station, located on the Mantua–Viadana line.
The intermodal vocation of this tramway connection was emphasised by the presence of a connecting line that allowed the exchange of goods with river barges sailing along the Po.
History
The Mantua–Viadana tramway, completed in 1887, ran for a short stretch in the Cremonese territory near the locality of Ponte Majocche in Casalmaggiore. In the concession for the Cremona–Casalmaggiore Tramway line, the possibility of building a connection that would join the two extra-urban lines was therefore foreseen, with the aim of promoting the cumulative transport of goods between the two provincial networks.
The concession for the construction and operation of the tramway was granted to the company that had obtained that of the main line, the firm of engineer Giovan Battista Biglia of Turin. As in the case of the connection between Ca' de Soresini and San Giovanni in Croce, the concessionaire was allowed to operate with animal traction and the use of light carriages.
The line was opened on 29 August 1888. In later years, operation was carried out by steam trams.
Throughout its life, the tramway was characterised by seasonal passenger traffic, served by an autonomous service distinct from that of the tramway to Cremona. Freight traffic, however, was intense and regular.
On 26 June 1930, the route variant that used the ring road of Casalmaggiore instead of the internal streets of the town was activated. In the following months, passenger traffic suffered a noticeable decline, which convinced the Tramvie Provinciali Cremonesi (TPC) to suppress the tram service starting from 1 September 1931. From that date, a bus line operated by the Bonaglia company was activated.
Freight traffic remained constant until October 1933, when the abolition of service on the Mantuan tram lines, including the Mantua–Viadana line, significantly reduced activity. The service was definitively suspended on 1 July 1934. Before being finally dismantled, the tramway was used by the TPC in the following months to transport track material coming from the Mantuan lines.
See also
- History of rail transport in Italy
- List of railway stations in Lombardy
- Mantua–Asola tramway
- Mantua–Viadana Tramway
- Cremona–Casalmaggiore Tramway