The competition among Europe’s rail giants is about to heat up on another front, as France’s state-owned rail operator SNCF has announced plans to domestic services in Italy starting in 2026, competing with Italy’s Trenitalia.
The French rail system has already established a serious beachhead in Spain’s high-speed rail market, with its discount Ouigo service holding about 20% of the market in Spain. SNCF has set a goal of 15% in Italy within a decade.
Europe’s rail systems have long operated cross-border trains, but the recent trend, supported by European rail competition rules, is to operate domestic services in neighboring countries as well. Spain’s Renfe, in fact, is also operating services in France that compete with SNCF, although not on as large a scale as SNCF’s operation.
