A formal request for the licencing of a rail network was made by the mayor of Locarno, Francesco Balli, in 1898, but although construction of the Centovalli Railway was begun in May 1913, the collapse of the financing bank later that year, together with the intervention of the First World War meant that construction was not resumed until August 1921, with the line being constructed from each end and meeting on 27 March 1923 and public service being inaugurated on 25 November 1923. As well as an important public service, the route of the railway is extremely scenic and the route is popular with tourists.
The company's acronym is often a source of some amusement to English speakers.