# Matera: no national railway, so you arrive via Bari

> Matera has no link to Italy's national rail network. You fly into Bari, 7,977,881 passengers in 2025, then take the FAL line, a bus on Sundays.

URL: https://myitalia.it/towns/matera/getting-there
Last updated: 2026-09-11

Matera is not connected to Italy's national rail network, so the usual way in is through Bari: fly into Bari Karol Wojtyla airport, then take the narrow-gauge Ferrovie Appulo Lucane line from Bari Centrale, which on Sundays and holidays runs as a bus.

## Fly to Bari

Bari Karol Wojtyla airport, IATA code BRI, handled 7,977,881 passengers in 2025, up 9.7% on 2024, the tenth busiest airport in Italy. It is run by Aeroporti di Puglia.

From the airport you need to reach Bari Centrale first, and that link is covered at [getting to Bari](/towns/bari/getting-there). A direct shuttle from the airport to Matera isn't in the data verified for this page.

## The FAL train on weekdays

The weekday timetable of the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane in force from August 31, 2026 has a first departure from Bari Centrale at 4:14 am and a last one at 10:10 pm. Most trains for Matera need a change at Altamura, which is roughly 72 minutes out of Bari.

The timetable is printed in two blocks, Bari to Altamura and Altamura to Matera, so the total journey can't be read off it with certainty and this page doesn't state one. Matera has five stations on the line: Venusio, Serra Rifusa, Villa Longo, Matera Centrale and Matera Sud.

Fares are a gap. The FAL tariff sheet in force from January 1, 2026 gives the tariff distance, 70 km from Bari Centrale to Matera, but not the price, so buy at the station.

The regional service contract for 2024 to 2033 sets a target of 1 hour 25 minutes for a direct Bari to Matera train, against 1 hour 42 before. Treat that as a target in a contract, not as today's timetable.

## Sundays and holidays: the bus

On Sundays and public holidays FAL replaces every Bari to Matera train with a bus, and rail tickets are valid on board. The bus leaves from the terminal in via Capruzzi, in front of Bari's mainline FS station, not from the FAL station.

With the timetable of August 3, 2026 there are eight arrivals at Matera Centrale, from 9:48 am to 11:03 pm, and the ride takes about 1 hour 45 minutes. Only the terminus times are firm: FAL warns that intermediate and arrival times depend on traffic.

The service contract also plans Sunday rail from September 2026, so check which of the two applies on the Sunday you travel.

## Summer works come back every year

In 2026 trains between Bari and Gravina stopped from June 22 to August 30 for engineering work, with replacement buses between Bari Centrale and Grumo Appula leaving 15 minutes before the train time, and from July 27 to August 30 seven runs were cut for the summer. Read FAL's service notices before any trip in the warm months.

## The mainline that is coming

A new line from Ferrandina to Matera La Martella, 20 km of single electrified track costing €525 million and partly funded by the PNRR, has been under construction since 2023. Activation is expected in 2028.

More at [Matera](/towns/matera) and [the capital off the national rail network](/stories/the-only-capital-without-a-railway). The Sassi traffic rules for drivers are at [Matera ZTL](/ztl/in-matera), and the airport itself is at [Bari airport](/plan/airports/bri).

## FAQ

### Can you take a train to Matera?

Yes, but not on the national network: the narrow-gauge Ferrovie Appulo Lucane runs from Bari Centrale, and most trains to Matera need a change at Altamura. On Sundays and holidays the train is replaced by buses from Bari's via Capruzzi terminal, which accept rail tickets.

### How much is the train from Bari to Matera?

The fare isn't published in a readable form. The FAL tariff sheet in force from January 1, 2026 gives a tariff distance of 70 km between Bari Centrale and Matera, but not the price in euros, so buy at the station or check the FAL planner.

### Which airport do you fly into for Matera?

Bari Karol Wojtyla (BRI), which handled 7,977,881 passengers in 2025, tenth in Italy. From Bari Centrale the FAL line runs to Matera. A direct airport shuttle to Matera isn't covered by the data verified for this page.

### When will Matera get a mainline railway?

The new Ferrandina-Matera La Martella line, 20 km of single electrified track costing €525 million, has been under construction since 2023, with activation expected in 2028 according to the FS group.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| L'aeroporto di Bari Karol Wojtyla (codice IATA BRI) ha registrato 7.977.881 passeggeri nel 2025 (+9,7% sul 2024). | [Assaeroporti](https://data-upload.assaeroporti.com/download-export/2025/12); [ENAC](https://www.enac.gov.it/app/uploads/2024/04/Dati-_di_traffico_2021_220914.pdf) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Matera e' l'unico capoluogo di provincia italiano non collegato alla rete ferroviaria nazionale: la nuova linea Ferrandina-Matera La Martella, 20 km a semplice binario elettrificato per 525 milioni di euro anche da PNRR, e' in costruzione dal 2023 con completamento previsto nel 2028 | [Gruppo FS Italiane](https://www.fsitaliane.it/it/opere-strategiche/nuova-linea-ferrandina-matera-la-martella.html) | medium | 2027-08-31 |
| Il collegamento su ferro fra Matera e Bari e' esercito dalle Ferrovie Appulo Lucane; il contratto di servizio Regione Basilicata-FAL 2024-2033 prevede il diretto Matera-Bari in 1 ora e 25 minuti (contro 1 ora e 42), cinque nuovi treni a batteria per il servizio metropolitano di Matera e l'attivazione del servizio domenicale da settembre 2026 | [Regione Basilicata](https://www.regione.basilicata.it/matera-bari-diretto-in-unora-e-25-con-nuovo-contratto-fal-regione/); [Ferrovie Appulo Lucane](https://ferrovieappulolucane.it/); [doc 2](https://ferrovieappulolucane.it/comunic-di-servizio/riduzione-estiva-programma-ferroviario_27072026_1116) | medium | 2027-03-31 |
| L'orario ferroviario feriale delle Ferrovie Appulo Lucane in vigore dal 31 agosto 2026 prevede da Bari Centrale una prima partenza alle 4:14 e un'ultima alle 22:10, con i treni per Matera che nella maggior parte dei casi richiedono un cambio ad Altamura, raggiunta in circa 1 ora e 12 minuti. | [Ferrovie Appulo Lucane](https://ferrovieappulolucane.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ORARIO-TRENI-DA-E-PER-BA-DAL-31-AGO-2026-1.pdf) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| La domenica e nei giorni festivi le Ferrovie Appulo Lucane sospendono il treno fra Bari e Matera e lo sostituiscono integralmente con autobus, sui quali sono ammessi anche i viaggiatori con biglietto ferroviario; con il quadro del 3 agosto 2026 gli arrivi a Matera Centrale da Bari sono otto, dalle 9:48 alle 23:03. | [Ferrovie Appulo Lucane](https://ferrovieappulolucane.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ORARIO-BUS-FESTIVI-E-DOMENICA-03-AGO-2026.pdf); [doc 2](https://ferrovieappulolucane.it/tratta/orari/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Nel quadro tariffario delle Ferrovie Appulo Lucane in vigore dal 1 gennaio 2026 la distanza tariffaria fra Bari Centrale e le stazioni di Matera (Serra Rifusa, Villa Longo, Centrale e Sud) e' di 70 chilometri, contro i 45 di Altamura e i 60 di Gravina. | [Ferrovie Appulo Lucane](https://ferrovieappulolucane.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/TARIFFE-PUGLIA-E-BASILICATA-09-MAR-2026-1.pdf) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Nel 2026 la ferrovia Bari-Matera ha subito due interruzioni programmate: la circolazione fra Bari e Gravina e' stata sospesa dal 22 giugno al 30 agosto per lavori infrastrutturali, con bus sostitutivi fra Bari Centrale e Grumo Appula in partenza 15 minuti prima dell'orario del treno, e dal 27 luglio al 30 agosto sette corse sono state soppresse per riduzione estiva. | [Ferrovie Appulo Lucane](https://ferrovieappulolucane.it/comunic-di-servizio/riduzione-estiva-programma-ferroviario_27072026_1116); [doc 2](https://ferrovieappulolucane.it/comunic-di-servizio/interruzione-circolazione-ferroviaria-tra-bari-e-gravina-dal-22-giugno_19062026_1046) | medium | 2026-12-31 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/city.matera.1600.jpg
Author: Gianfranco Vitolo. License: CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Matera_(235706743).jpeg

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/paesi/matera/come-arrivare.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/pueblos/matera/como-llegar.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/villages/matera/acces.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/orte/matera/anreise.md