The Station
Roma Termini covers a total surface area of 225,000 square meters, with about 480,000 visitors daily, totaling over 150 million annually, and handles 850 trains a day.
Beyond the figures, Roma Termini has assumed a key role in the city’s transportation system—serving not only as a hub for local, regional, national, and international travel but also as a vital resource for the city itself, constantly evolving. The Grandi Stazioni project aimed to transform Italy's 13 most important railway stations into comfortable, safe environments, doubling as multi-transport hubs and urban squares rich with services and commercial opportunities.
The renewal of Roma Termini demonstrated the validity of this vision, with an investment of approximately 119 million euros and extensive works completed in time for the 2000 Jubilee. The station is located in Piazza dei Cinquecento, between Via Marsala and Via Giovanni Giolitti, right in the heart of the city.
History
Designed by Salvatore Bianchi and built in 1867 among the fields and vineyards of Esquilino, it was inaugurated by Pope Pius IX as "the station of the capital of Italy." Although it seemed too large for the needs of the capital of the Papal State (with just over 180,000 inhabitants at the time), within 15 years, it proved insufficient to handle the growing rail traffic.
After its construction, expansion efforts began, including the addition of tracks, temporary sheds, and loading platforms. However, the building remained in its original dimensions until 1905. Six years later, a wooden shed for the ticket office was constructed, along with a new group of tracks for passenger trains.
In the immediate post-war years, the issue arose again, and the FS Works Service Office proposed a complete redesign of the station complex. In 1925, architect Angiolo Mazzoni was tasked with studying a new project to expand Bianchi's old building. The initial designs proposed an underground station with two terminal stations (one to the north and one to the south), with the lines crossing the city underground and meeting at Termini, conceived as a central transit station, also underground.
Before finalizing a design that would receive approval from both Mussolini and Minister Benni, Mazzoni explored various solutions to integrate the old and the new. He could not avoid the directive to create classical-style forms, large and solemn spaces with arches, vaults, and an enormous hall conceived not as a filter between the station and the city but as an "imposing temple gate."
Thus, the original design underwent a slow and inevitable transformation, ultimately being approved on February 3, 1939. A monumental projection with an imposing portico and a 12,000-square-meter hall, completely empty and purely intended for visual impact, relegated all the travel services to the side buildings, compromising the station's efficiency and the public's comfort.
An interesting aspect of Mazzoni's design was his intention to represent the nation through the use of precious Italian marbles. For the walls and floors, luxurious Italian marbles were chosen. However, Mazzoni’s departure for Colombia and the outbreak of World War II halted the work at Termini. After the war, the wings of the new station were almost complete, but the front building had not yet been constructed.
The changed political climate led to a reassessment of the project from economic, functional, and architectural perspectives. In 1947, a national competition was held, and the winning team (Montuori Vitellozzi) was tasked with completing Mazzoni's work.
The new project's dominant features were to be clear, transparent, and functional forms, harmonizing with what had already been built and coexisting with the 80-meter-long walls of the Agger Servianus, with peaks of 9 meters in height. The decision was made to divide the space into four distinct but interconnected buildings, with links to the two wings of the station and Piazza dei Cinquecento: the front building ("E"), the ticket hall, the head gallery, and the external restaurant. The entire complex developed over an area of 14,000 square meters.
The remains of the Agger Servianus, suitably highlighted by the "Dinosaur" (the large concrete structure), symbolically represent the continuity between ancient and modern architecture.
Once the work was completed, Termini station took the form we know today and was inaugurated on December 20, 1950, by the then President of the Republic, Luigi Einaudi.
Redevelopment
The new services
The quality standard of services dedicated to travelers has been increased through the modernization of the ticket office, the enhancement of information structures, the introduction of dedicated ticket counters, automatic ticket machines, the new luggage deposit, the Travelers' Hall, and constantly monitored restrooms. The signage system, which in the past was one of the main obstacles to the proper use of the spaces, has been redesigned with a focus on clarity and immediacy, aimed at helping travelers navigate the station using a clear and uniform style.
In the underground level of the station, once a symbol of the complex’s decay, the Forum Termini has been created: a service center offering a vast commercial range, 14,000 square meters of sparkling windows representing every product category, for a new and stimulating way to experience the station, with particular attention to the "non-traveling" public. This has proven to be a winning factor in the revitalization of Termini.
The Central Gallery, once simply a pedestrian link between Via Marsala and Via Giolitti, has transformed into the general hub of what Termini station offers its vast and diverse public: services for travelers and citizens, appealing shopping opportunities, restaurants, and fast food for every need, all developed over 220 linear meters. The thousands of mosaic tiles covering the "Dinosaur," the station’s Atrium roof, now shine after careful restoration work; under its undulating lines stands the modern design of the new station bookstore.
Architecture, Culture, and Contemporary Art
The original architecture of Rome Termini, a mix of styles blending the 1930s and 1950s, has been enhanced with modern interventions designed by Grandi Stazioni staff in collaboration with renowned designers such as Atelier Mendini, Michele De Lucchi, Pierluigi Cerri, Vignelli Associates, and Piero Castiglioni. A prime example of this work is the restoration of the Mazzonian Wing, the building designed in the 1930s by architect Mazzoni, initially intended as the station's façade. It is a rare example of futurist architecture, which unfortunately experienced a downward trajectory over the years, leading to its state of total abandonment and decay.
The Mazzonian Wing on Via Giolitti has become a multifunctional center offering public services, shopping opportunities, events, restaurants, wellness facilities, and cultural activities. Termini is, in fact, the only Italian station to boast a “museum.” On the upper floor of the Termini Wing, you’ll find the GATE Termini Art Gallery, an exhibition space that has hosted important exhibitions such as those dedicated to Guercino and Caravaggio.
Increasingly, Termini is being chosen as a venue for concerts, meetings, exhibitions, literary and social events, and much more. It is a universe of additional opportunities offered to visitors to discover a new way of experiencing the station, appreciating it fully as a place for encounters, and spending free time. On December 23, 2006, with an official ceremony, Termini Station was dedicated to Pope John Paul II.
The new parking platform
Currently, work is underway to create a platform above the train tracks, which will host a state-of-the-art parking area. This parking facility, the first of its kind in Europe, will have a capacity of approximately 1,337 car spaces and 85 motorcycle spaces spread across three levels, accessible via a ramp from Via Marsala.
Pedestrian connections between the parking area and the station will be ensured by 10 elevators and 12 staircases located near each platform. Security will be guaranteed by an advanced surveillance system, featuring 80 cameras. Within the parking area, informational monitors will display train arrivals and departures, guiding passengers on which elevator or staircase to use to reach their desired platform.
The construction is being carried out in a way that minimizes disruptions to the daily operation of the railway system, which sees 850 trains passing through each day. This is made possible by a technique called “push launching,” typically used in bridge construction and never before used for building a parking structure above an operational train station in the heart of a city. Sections of the parking structure are built and assembled off-site, then pushed along a rack to their final position. This method will be used to complete the first two levels of the parking, while the third level will be constructed on-site based on the already completed lower levels.
Security
At Roma Termini station, a control room is active to ensure continuous monitoring of the station through surveillance services and supervision of security systems.
Additionally, there is a security service that ensures the surveillance of the areas, detection and reporting of non-conformities, and security interventions. Furthermore, it oversees emergency management, together with maintenance staff, for first response and support to external rescuers.
To support and optimize human resources, security systems are also integrated. Specifically, the station has been equipped with:
CCTV and digital video recording systems
Access control and anti-intrusion systems
Fire detection systems
The system is organized in close coordination with the Railway Police to ensure immediate escalation of critical management issues.
Station Services
- Travel Agency
- Bank
- ATM
- Currency Exchange
- Service Center
- Luggage Deposit
- Pharmacy
- Freccia Club
- Information
- Lounge Italo Club
- Car rental
- Parking
- Railway Police
- Sala Blu - Assistance
- Restrooms
- Shopping
- Post Office