The French National Railway Company (SNCF) has announced its intention to enter the Italian high-speed rail market starting in 2026, this is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

SNCF Plans to Enter the Italian High-Speed Rail Market
Photo: SNCF

As part of this plan, the company intends to deploy 15 four-system TGV M trains, which will operate on two routes in Italy.

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This significant expansion of SNCF’s activities aims to strengthen its position on the international stage and explore new markets.

The first route will include nine shuttle services on the Turin — Milan — Bologna — Florence — Rome — Naples route.

The second route will provide four services on the Turin — Milan — Brescia — Verona — Padua — Venice route.

The annual passenger traffic on Italy’s high-speed rail network is expected to be around 50 million people, and SNCF aims to capture 15% of this market by 2030.

This is an ambitious goal considering the competition from two Italian operators — the national Trenitalia and the private NTV.

Previously, SNCF operated on the cross-border route Paris — Turin — Milan, but services on this route were halted in August 2023 due to a landslide in the French town of La Pra.

Now, the company is focusing on the domestic Italian market, which should strengthen its position and increase its market share in high-speed rail transport.

It is worth noting that this is not SNCF’s first venture into foreign markets.

In 2021, the company began operating high-speed services in Spain, where it competes with Trenitalia and the national operator Renfe.

Thus, SNCF continues to follow its strategy of internationalization and expanding the geography of its operations.

To implement this project, SNCF has signed a contract with Alstom for the supply of 115 TGV M trains worth approximately 3.5 billion euros.

Certification tests of the first trains are expected to be completed by mid-2024, followed by final tests with four production trains starting in autumn 2024 before their commercial operation begins.

Entering the Italian high-speed rail market is an important step for SNCF, opening up new opportunities for the company and its passengers.

This will not only expand the route geography but also increase competition in the market, ultimately leading to improved service quality and infrastructure development.

The French company aims to offer Italian passengers a new level of comfort and speed, which could lead to significant changes in the landscape of rail transport in Italy.

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