About this journey

Taranto station, which first opened on 15 September 1868 with the inauguration of the Gioia del Colle–Taranto section, serves as the southern Apulian departure point for the Ferrovia Jonica — a 472-kilometre line linking Taranto with Sibari, Crotone, and Reggio Calabria along the Ionian coast.

Construction of the Ferrovia Jonica was initiated by the Società per le Strade Ferrate Meridionali and proceeded in stages between 1866 and 1875, establishing one of southern Italy's earliest long-distance railways. The line threads through three regions — Apulia, Basilicata, and Calabria — largely tracking the Ionian shoreline. The section from Taranto to Sibari was electrified on 13 November 1989, but the route beyond Sibari toward Crotone remains non-electrified, which is why traction here falls to a diesel FS Class D.445. On 12 December 2010, several intermediate stations were downgraded to halts, reflecting the line's declining traffic over recent decades.

The journey ends at Crotone, a station served by Trenitalia with Intercity workings that run the full length between Taranto and Reggio Calabria. The ride as a whole traces a corridor that is historically significant yet operationally spare — electrified steel giving way to diesel haulage as the Ionian coast curves south into Calabria.