High speed: French Sncf trains on the Italian network from 2027

Green light for iFrench trains sul Italian high-speed market. Dal 2027 Sncf Voyages Italiawhich is part of the French railway groupSncfwill be able to support it with its new oneTgv Mdouble-deck and capable of traveling up to 350 km/ in tests,Trenitalia e Italoso far the only operators on the market. THE’Antitrustgave the green light tothird operatoropening the network tocompetition.

L’Authorityhas accepted and made binding thecommitments presented by the Italian Railway Networkin the context of the procedure on barriers to access torail transport market. A decision that marks a decisive step for thehigh speed marketand opens up new opportunities for improvementservices, quality e competitivenessby the grace of Godpassengers.

Changes to encourage competition

The investigation, started in March 2025, was aimed at verifying whether the methods of assigning capacity on the high-speed network could hinder the entry of new operators. Theapproved commitmentsintroduce significant changes to make the entry ofSncfand encouragecompetition. Rfiwill assign the new operator a minimum package of18 hourly channelson the Turin/Milan/Rome – Turin/Milan/Venice high-speed lines, guaranteeing their stability for ten years. A measure which, according to theAuthorityaims to make the entry of thenew operatorin the market. Furthermore,Rfiwill intervene on the rules of the network information table, expressly adapting them to theEuropean principlesrelating to the best use of the infrastructure, the protection of passengers’ needs and the promotion of competition. To protect the “new entrant” and future ones, a new law will be adopted immediatelytransitional disciplinewith priority in the allocation of available or underutilized capacity, so as to favor agradual and concrete growth of the offerby these subjects.

The requests of Sncf Voyages Italia

Sncf Voyages Italiawelcomes the decision of theAntitrust ma chiede guarantees on the implementation of commitmentsto be able to “start theinvestment planannounced for Italy, with the aim of developing, starting from September 2027, a new service offeringhigh speedin the country”. With his project,Sncfwill introduce on the Italian market15 high-speed trainsof new generation, “allowing access toHigh Speed a oltre 10 million passengers all’anno in Italia”. SncfHowever, he underlines that the completion of the industrial plan requires a total of13 daily return trips(9 from Turin to Naples and 4 from Turin to Venice) Access toadditional slotsgarlicmaintenance systems e l’train approvalthey are “essential” conditions to make the investment sustainable, according to the French group. “Without this minimum level of activity, the company does not have the necessary conditions to justify the investment and continue operations,” a statement explains. “It will therefore be essential – he continues – that the manager guarantees the rapid implementation of the further commitments, reviewing the evolution of the capacity allocation criteria, in order to ensure in the short term aSncf Voyages Italiaaccess to furtherrailway tracks richieste”.

Benefits and history of Sncf in Italy

Sncf Voyages Italiafinally, it counts “on the commitment of all the actors involved to make its access to the system possible and effectiveItalian marketin full compliance withEuropean regulationsin order to favor aincreasingly sustainable mobilityand guarantee travelers the benefits of greatercompetitionand of aexpanded offer“. According to a study presented at theBocconi Universityand carried out by the Green research center, the projectSncf Voyages Italia mira a generare benefits for the Italian communityestimated at over480 million euros per yearbetween growth ofPilnew tax revenues and more than4,000 new jobsdirect and indirect, also bringing atime saving e una reduction in the average cost of tickets. Dal 2011, Sncf Voyages Italiaon behalf ofSncf Voyageursprovides the service tohigh speedbetween Paris and Milan with the brandTgv Inoui. In 14 years of activity, according to data provided by the group,Sncf Voyages Italiacarried more than7 million passengersbetween France and Italy.