Italy: Expanding high speed rail model in Europe

Rome: ‘Italian high speed is a successful model, and our goal is to extend it at the European level’, according to Trenitalia CEO Gianpiero Strisciuglio.

Speaking at an event to mark the restart of twice-daily Milano – Paris services after landslide damage to the cross-border line through Modane was repaired, Strisciuglio said the relaunch forms part of a broader international expansion strategy for Trenitalia.

Within France, Trenitalia currently runs three services per day from Paris to Lyon Part-Dieu and Lyon-Perrache. On June 15 it is planning to introduce four daily Frecciarossa services between Paris and Marseille via Lyon Saint-Exupéry, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence.

‘We have a strong brand, synonymous with quality and reliability, and we are sure that the market will respond positively’, Strisciuglia said. He noted that ‘the leisure component is very strong on international connections, but there is also a significant portion of business travellers’.