Railways

'High speed: with the entry of SNCF prices down by 7%'

A study by Bocconi University, commissioned by the French company, indicates the advantages of a third operator landing on the Italian network

by M.Mor.

3 October 2025

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

A high-speed market in Italy with as yet unexpressed development potential; infrastructural and regulatory limits that hinder the entry of new competitors; a competitive gap with Spain and France in opening up the sector. In this scenario, the entry of new operators into the Italian market would bring a wide range of socio-economic and environmental benefits.

These are the guidelines of the Green-Centro di Ricerca study on geography, natural resources, energy, the environment and networks of Bocconi University, commissioned by Sncf Voyages Italia, presented at Expo Ferroviaria in Milan by Oliviero Baccelli, head of the transport area of the Green-University Luigi Bocconi research centre, and Caroline Chabrol, General Manager of Sncf Voyages Italia, part of the Sncf group, the French state railway company.

According to the study, despite its potential, the Italian Av market is currently held back by infrastructural constraints and critical issues; in addition, the national regulatory framework does not guarantee fair conditions of access to the network and the current criteria for allocating train paths are penalising new operators.

Considering the estimated socio-economic benefits of the entry of a third operator such as Sncf, which intends to offer 9 daily HS round-trip connections between Turin and Naples and 4 between Turin and Venice, the Bocconi study values three types of macro-impacts, totalling 482 million euros per year when fully operational:

1) reduction of external costs, resulting from 75% of new SVI passengers choosing to use HS instead of other, more polluting means of transport and 25% of passengers attracted by the new diversified offer, with benefits estimated at EUR 91 million per year;

2) Reducing travel time and enhancing the opportunity cost of time for business and leisure passengers who choose to use SVI's services, with benefits estimated at EUR 200 million per year;

3) rreduction in transport costs for passengers already using other operators' Av services, with an average ticket price reduction of 7% and estimated benefits of EUR 191 million per year.

Assuming Sncf Voyages Italia's annual revenues of 400 million euros in its fifth year of operation, the study also estimates an overall contribution to the national GDP of over 388 million euros, tax revenues for the Italian state of around 166.3 million euros, and a contribution to the Italian labour market of 4,161 persons employed.

The study also highlights important environmental benefits, starting with those resulting from the replacement of cars and planes. Indeed, the use of cars and planes generates an environmental cost for the community that is 18 and 26 times higher respectively than that of Sncf's Tgv-M.

Commented Caroline Chabrol: 'Sncf manages more than 40% of high-speed trains in Europe and 22% of international rail traffic, with a target of 30% by 2030. Our expansion strategy in Italy, which includes an investment plan to expand our offer on additional domestic routes and create new job and training opportunities, fully reflects the development trajectories highlighted in the study: more trains, more capacity and an ongoing commitment to an increasingly connected and sustainable Europe. Our ambition is to contribute with our investments to the development of the mobility offer in Italy, to guarantee better solutions for the environment and to offer travellers more choice, more quality and more competitive prices".

Marco Morinovicecaporedattore
- @marcomorino
Luogo: Milano
Lingue parlate: Italiano, francese
Argomenti: Infrastrutture, trasporti, logistica
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