Sunday 23 December 1984, an express train packed full of people going home or to visit relatives for Christmas is travelling from Naples to Milan. At about 6.30 p.m. 'Rapido 904' pulls out of Santa Maria Novella Station in Florence heading for its next stop, Bologna [Thread] >> 1

The line between Florence & Bologna crosses the Appennini mountains with numerous tunnels, the longest being the 'Grande Galleria dell'Appennino', which is 18km long. The train passes through the station of Vernio, the last before the tunnel entrance, picking up speed >> 2

At this point the line has finished climbing and flattens out through the tunnel, allowing trains to reach a speed of 150 km/h. At about 7.05 p.m. the train enters the tunnel. It will not come out at the other end >> 3

What happened inside the tunnel is almost a case of history repeating itself. 10 years earlier, a bomb planted by neo-fascist terrorists on an express train had exploded just as it was coming out of the tunnel at the other end, in the station of San Benedetto Val di Sambro >> 4

On that occasion the perpetrators had miscalculated & set the timer badly. Nonetheless, 12 people died & 48 were injured. On 'Rapido 904' the consequences are more serious. The bomb explodes almost in the centre of the 18km tunnel & effect of the blast is thus intensified >> 5