The two trains involved in a head-on crash that killed at least 20 people and left 34 injured on Tuesday near the town of Andria in the southern Puglia region were part of the Bari-Barletta line of the Ferrovie del Nord Barese railway.
The railway is privately owned by the Ferrotramviaria company, founded by Count Ugo Pasquini in 1937.
The Bari-Barletta line went into service in 1965, connecting Puglia's capital city of Bari with cities to the north and up the Adriatic coast: Bitonto, Terlizzi, Ruvo, Corato, Andria, and Barletta.
In 2008 Ferrotramviaria undertook a development and modernisation project to improve service in the area, starting with the San Paolo city rail project connecting the residential San Paolo neighbourhood of Bari with the city centre, thus ensuring direct service to the city's San Paolo Hospital.
Ferrotramviaria's website said the railway has become an important part of local public transport in Puglia in recent years, with a constantly growing number of commuters.
One of the trains involved in Tuesday's crash had left Corato and was heading for Andria, and the other was en route from Andria to Corato.
Transport Minister Graziano Delrio has rushed to the scene.
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