Italy’s state rail operator, Trenitalia, has ambitious plans to run high-speed trains to and within some of its neighbors and not-quite-neighbors as more rail operations eye potential profits in competing with other national operators.
Trenitalia’s plans include a committed plan to run a service between Paris and Barcelona, but its plans don’t stop there; the company is also eying service on to Brussels and Amsterdam. Carlo Palasciano, Trenitalia’s chief international officer, asked reporters “Why not also continue from Paris to the east side — so Brussels to Amsterdam?” He also added that he might eventually think of adding a service to Berlin. A Milan-to-Paris service already operates, as well as a low-cost subsidiary operating Madrid-to-Barcelona services.
Among other operators looking for wider fields, France’s SNCF has expanded its routes into neighboring Spain, while Spain’s RENFE is not only expanding into France and talking about cross-channel services, it is also making aggressive moves into the Portugal market, where development of local high-speed service has been slow.
