Trenitalia's famed Frecciarossa ('red arrow') high-speed trains are set to operate on international routes as soon as next year, Italy's national rail operator Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS Group) said on Wednesday as it confirmed long-discussed plans to Italian media.
“The new cross-border high speed connections from Milan to Munich and Rome to Munich will be active by 2026,” FS Group management said in a statement, following agreements made with German railway company Deutsche Bahn and Austrian operator ÖBB.
“Services will be gradually extended to Berlin and Naples from December 2028.”
The European Commission had chosen the rail link between Italy, Austria and Germany as a pilot scheme for a wider “European Metro” improved high-speed rail network, the company said.
The Milan-Munich route is expected to take 6.5 hours, with stops in Brescia, Verona, Rovereto, Trento, Bolzano and Innsbruck.
The Rome-Munich route, taking 8.5 hours, will stop in Florence, Bologna, Verona, Rovereto, Trento, Bolzano and Innsbruck.
Travel time is expected to be cut by an hour in future with the reopening of the Brenner Base Tunnel rail link, the statement said.
From December 2028, the company plans to operate a total of ten high-speed routes between Italy and Germany: Milan and Munich; Milan and Berlin; Rome and Munich; Naples and Munich; and Naples and Berlin.
“The new Frecciarossa connection will offer a direct service between Italy and Germany, passing through Austria, and will have a significant impact on rail connections between the two countries,” the company stated.
“With the support of German infrastructure, which connects to numerous other countries, the line will also fill a transport demand for other destinations such as Frankfurt and Krakow.”
Trenitalia already operates several non-high-speed cross-border routes, including Venice-Vienna, Trieste-Ljubljana, Milan-Zurich and Verona-Innsbruck.
The latest announcement came after FS Group revealed in April that it also aims to launch a London-Paris service in competition with Eurostar by 2029.
"Evaluations are underway for possible extensions of the London-Paris service through Lille, Ashford, Lyon, Marseille and Milan," it said.
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