High speed: 400 kilometres of new lines and the challenge of Sncf

In Italy today, high-speed rail is at the centre of much controversy due to inefficiencies caused by various breakdowns and malfunctions on the network. In the report by Europa Radicale, presented last January at the Ministry of Transport, an alarming figure emerges: between October and December 2024, more than 70 per cent of the 22,865 high-speed trains monitored were delayed. This is the result of an overloaded system that requires structural interventions. But in five years' time, the high-speed scenario could be very different from today: in 2030, the 1,200 construction sites opened along the Italian tracks to improve network capacity and reduce the impact of disruptions on travellers will be closed or close to closure.

From 2030 onwards, about 400 kilometres of new lines will gradually come into operation, bringing the total extension of the Av network from the current 1,097 kilometres to about 1,500, connecting areas of the country never previously reached by high-speed trains.

In addition, the competing operators will rise from two to three: the Frecce of Trenitalia (FS group) and the trains of the private company Ntv-Italo (Agv and Pendolino Evo) will be joined by the new Tgv-M of Sncf, the French state railways. The French are expected to enter the Italian market in 2027 with an investment of 800 million euros. Sncf's fleet will consist of 15 double-decker Tgv-Ms: a novelty for Italy, because double-decker trainsets are used in regional transport. The Tgv-M, which will appear on the Italian market under the low-cost brand Ouigo, is the result of more than 20 years of planning and claims some 400 technological innovations. According to transport economist Andrea Giuricin, professor at the University of Milan Bicocca, 'the Italian high-speed rail market is expected to grow from the current 65 million passengers per year to at least 80 million by 2030'. Let's go in order.

The Italian railway network, explains the managing director of the FS group Stefano Donnarumma, is one of the best in Europe, but also one of the oldest: 'We are therefore working to extend high-speed trains to different parts of the country, improving accessibility, and in fact 700 of the 1,200 construction sites relate to infrastructure development. Rete ferroviaria italiana (Rfi) estimates that in 2029 there will be a 30% increase in the population reached by Av services compared to today, rising to +48% in 2034. To achieve these objectives, the FS group, in its 2025-2029 strategic plan, has planned 60 billion in investments for the railway infrastructure alone, also financed with funds from the NRP.

These works aim to ensure increasingly reliable mobility with a tangible impact: reduced journey times, increased punctuality and high safety standards. Giuricin remarks: 'With the upgrading and technological updating of the network, for example through the installation of the Ertms system along the main routes and in the major urban nodes, there will be more trains in circulation with a regular and cadenced spacing, transforming the high-speed network into an open-air metro. With a more modern and efficient network, punctuality should also improve significantly'.