APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200080003-4
about 107,000 g.r.t. could provide troop-lift and logistics support in nearseas operations.
Most of the country's 150 usable airfields could support military operations. Airfields on the mainland are located chiefly in the northern plains and along the east and west coasts; the principal island fields are Cagliari/Elmas on Sardinia and Palermo/Punta Raisi on Sicily. Several large military airfields and two joint fields are home bases for fighter aircraft, and a number of minor military airfields support the Italian Army. In the event of a national emergency, the aircraft and personnel of Italy's airlines would be integrated into the military structure. The 130 major aircraft and most of the lighter planes could be used for airlift of troops and equipment, logistical support to NATO forces, and air evacuation.
An excellent mixture of cables and radio-relay systems have overcome negative effects of the largely mountainous terrain and would provide substantial telecom support to major military operations. Except in the highest mountain ranges, climatic conditions are generally favorable for the installation and maintenance of facilities. Intercity and local telecom networks are well protected against disruption by sabotage; cables are buried, and key radio-relay sites are in remote mountainous areas. Multiple circuits and alternate routes are available to insure rapid rerouting of most traffic. Telecom supply and maintenance services are excellent. Adequate stockpiles of materials are maintained by the government, concessionaires, and domestic manufacturers.
C. Railroads (C)
The railroad system of Italy (including Sicily and Sardinia) totals 12,688 route miles and consists of 10,005 route miles of government-owned lines operated by the Italian State Railroads (Ferrovie dello Stato—FS) and 2,683 route miles of mostly single-track, non-Federal lines owned and operated by 47 different private and municipal companies. The FS system, which handles most of the long-distance passenger traffic and a large part of the long-distance freight traffic, is adequate to satisfy current traffic demands. The non-Federal railroads, commercially significant only to the areas they serve, have short lengths, low line capacities, and a multiplicity of gages and equipment.
The density of the Italian rail network of about 11.0 route miles of line per 100 square miles compares favorably with the networks of France and Austria, which have 11.8 and 12.8, respectively, but is less dense than the 23.2 route miles per 100 square miles of West Germany or the 19.7 of Switzerland. The Italian network consists principally of well-distributed lines extending along the east and west coasts of the mainland. Numerous major lines link the larger industrial cities of the Po valley with other river valleys and provide east-west connections at several points along the peninsula. Minor networks on Sicily and Sardinia connect with the mainland via train ferries. As of 31 December 1971, the route mileage of the FS system was as follows:
| Gage | Single Track | Double Track | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4'8½" Electrified | 1,987 | 2,940 | 4,927 |
| 4'8½" Nonelectrified | 4,808 | 175 | 4,983 |
| Subtotal | 6,795 | 3,115 | 9,910 |
| 3'1⅛" (non electrified) located in Sicily | 95 | None | 95 |
| Total | 6,890 | 3,115 | 10,005 |
Most of the non-Federal railroads are single track. Half of the 1,392 route miles of 4'8½" gage and 30% of the 1,291 route miles of narrower gages are electrified. Since 1965 about 300 route miles of non-Federal railroads have been abandoned. Italy has the third highest percentage of electrified lines, being exceeded only by Switzerland and Sweden.
The condition of FS main lines is good to excellent, but with the exception of the large-city rapid-service commuter lines, non-Federal lines are in poor condition.
Rail lines provide 12 international connections; 10 are on FS standard-gage (4'8½") lines and two are on meter-gage (3'3⅜") non-Federal lines. Two connections are made with France; five with Switzerland, of which two are on non-Federal lines; three with Austria; and two with Yugoslavia.
The FS is an autonomous agency under the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation and is administered by the Railway Board and its director general. The director general is assisted by two deputy director generals, both located in Rome; one is responsible for the Operation and Services Departments and the other for the Central Services Departments. The director general supervises the entire railroad service of the FS system in accordance with directives from the ministry. His subordinates include 15 regional operating district directors who are charged with the actual rail operations. In addition to national memberships in international transport and rail organizations such as the International
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200080003-4
