Expropriation for Public Use :Construction of the Railway Line in Abruzzo

The construction of the railway line in Abruzzo was made possible by the activity of expropriation. The expropriation of the assets related to the railway works, besides the fact that they gave life to substantial production, resulted in the “Law on the provisions laid down by law and regulation regarding expropriation for public use”, issued by the President of the Republic (Decree no. 3278 of 8 June 2001), and had an important role also in the economic and financial field. Indeed, the commitment of funds on the part of the State was particularly significant for the railway companies and private individuals, but more relevant were the repercussions on the land. The introduction of railways in Abruzzo was supported by several factors related to the development of the national policy framework and to local development. This infrastructure allowed the central authorities to travel to and relate faster with Southern Italy and therefore facilitated immediate application of the directives and instructions of the central bodies. The military also benefited from the railway lines : they allowed the national army to get hold of the men living in South Italy. More important was the social impact that the railway had, helping to stamp out the phenomenon of banditry9. The railway lines had a positive impact also on the economical and commercial development of the territory and for this reason the local political party had strongly supported the project. In fact, while the Adriatic railway line was part of the national project to connect the northern part of Italy to the South, superceding the logic of merely local interests, continuous pressure was exercised for the construction of the regional railway lines. The expropriations brought changes to the Adriatic railway : from a simple network, as it was conceived at the beginning, to an important instrument of economic and social growth for the territory. The railway line has, over 150 years, changed from a simple rail infrastructure to a more complex and appropriate system, characterized by logistic and commercial supports projected towards the future.