Transport in Vatican City

The transportation system in Vatican City, a country 1.05 km long and 0.85 km wide [http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/sp_ss_scv/informazione_generale/sp_ss_scv_info-generale_en.html] ,is a small transportation system with no airports or highways. Given the average walking speed of 3.6 km/h [http://www.thinkmetric.org.uk/speed.html] , people could walk from one end of Vatican City to the other in 20 minutes or less. Thus, much of the infrastructure in the Vatican consists of St. Peter's Square itself, hallways and aisles in the basilica and surrounding buildings, and walkways behind and between the buildings. (see map, [http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/sp_ss_scv/informazione_generale/sp_ss_scv_info-generale_en.html] ) There is a heliport in the western corner of the city-state that is used for visiting heads and officials of the Holy See. [ [http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/countryfacts/vaticancitystate.html#Transport Vatican City] Tiscali retrieved November 27, 2006 ]

Airports

Vatican City has no airports of its own. Rome is served by two airports which are used by travellers to the Vatican (which is in Rome).

Railway

There is a short 852 metre or 932 yard standard gauge (1435 mm or 4 ft 8½ in) railway that connects to surrounding Italy's network at the Saint Peter's station in the capital of Rome. The station was designed by architect Giuseppe Momo and was constructed during the reign of Pope Pius XI after the conclusion of the Lateran Treaties and opened in 1933 but now houses shops. The railway was originally planned to transport pilgrims, as was intended during the reign of Pius XI, but has only been rarely used to transport passengers. Pope John XXIII was the first to make use of the railway, and Pope John Paul II was known to have used it as well very rarely. The railway is mainly used only to transport freight. Rome Metro line A passes the country at Ottaviano and Cipro-Musei Vatican. Both stops are a ten minute walk away from the city-state. [ [http://www.sinfin.net/railways/world/vatican/vaticanrail.html#Origini Vatican City State Railway] Railways of the World retrieved August 8, 2006]

Road vehicles

Vehicle registration plates of road vehicles registered in Vatican City use the prefix "SCV" followed by a series of digits. The international identification plate/sticker is V. The Pope's car carries the registration "SCV 1".

References