Italy is implementing one of the largest infrastructure transformations in Europe, in which over 18,000 kilometers of railway network and the surrounding environment are mapped and analyzed using geographic information systems (GIS).
At the heart of this process is ArcGIS – a platform for spatial, three-dimensional and temporal analysis used in the planning, design and management of railway stations and infrastructure in the country.
The Italian national railway operator Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) is extensively upgrading its long-standing GIS system with over 400 new layers, which covers not only railway infrastructure, but also its surrounding environment – population, businesses, schools, hospitals, tourist sites, green spaces, transport links and people's movement patterns.
Each station is considered not as an isolated building, but as part of an active urban system. Through spatial analysis, RFI gets a clear picture of:
- how the infrastructure affects safety, access and quality of the environment;
- what are the risks to the infrastructure – floods, accidents;
- who lives and works in the area of the stations;
- how people reach them – on foot, by bike or public transport;
- what services are missing and what are the real needs of the local community;
- how pedestrians, cars and shared vehicles move.
This approach allows each station to receive an individual solution, tailored to the local context – from large cities to small settlements.
From maps to investments for billions
RFI uses the GIS platform for transparent management of over 1,200 ongoing infrastructure projects, financed with part of the 25 billion euros under the European Recovery and Resilience Mechanism. Spatial data and analysis are the basis for strategic decision-making and investment targeting at national and regional level. Concrete results include:
- renovation of around 600 stations;
- construction of new high-speed lines, including in southern Italy;
- investment of €41 million for pedestrian and cycling spaces around stations;
- new €150 million for a network of cycle paths connecting universities with railway stations.
Stations – the new hubs of urban life
With the help of GIS data, unused spaces in stations are transformed into places of real value for people and local communities – cafes, shops and public services, coworking and social spaces, health centers and pharmacies in smaller settlements, as well as cultural and ecological centers.
The result is a new generation of railway stations - technologically advanced, environmentally sustainable and oriented towards the needs of people, not just transport. And all this based on GIS analysis of the environment.
How GIS supports sustainable infrastructure planning
The example of Italy shows how GIS technologies do not just visualize data, but become a strategic tool for national development, better mobility and a higher quality of life.
Today, one in four Italians lives or works within a 15-minute walk of a train station – proof that when infrastructure is planned with an understanding of space and people, the effect is large-scale and long-term.
Integrated GIS approaches are also applied in our country with the support of Esri Bulgaria, assisting municipalities, state institutions and businesses in analyzing the territory and making informed decisions based on spatial data.
Detailed statistics on average property prices in Bulgaria by cities and neighborhoods can be seen at imot.bg