Trenitalia
 |
| File:Trenitalia Logo.jpg | |
| Company type | State-owned company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail Transport |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Innocenzo Cipolletta, Presidente (Chairman) Mauro Moretti, Amministratore delegato (CEO) |
| Products | Passenger transport, Freight transport |
| Revenue |  € 5.63 billion (2008)[1] |
| € 918.7 million (2008) | |
| € 221.1 million (2008) | |
Number of employees | 48.971 (2008) |
| Parent | Ferrovie dello Stato |
| Subsidiaries | Artésia (50%) Cisalpino (50%, dissolved) |
| Website | ferroviedellostato.it/homepage_en.html |
Trenitalia is the primary operator of trains within Italy. Trenitalia is owned by Ferrovie dello Stato, itself owned by the Italian Government. It was created in 2000 following the EU directive on the deregulation of rail transport. Ferrovie dello Stato became a holding company which controls Trenitalia (trains), Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (tracks), etc.
Trenitalia offers transport around Italy (including service in Sicily and Sardinia and the ferries from mainland to the two islands, which are operated by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana), and also connects to Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Spain, and Switzerland. The company operates the ETR 500 high-speed train and is a partner in the Cisalpino Italy - Germany - Switzerland link.
It operates the Eurostar Italia trains, which offer Pendolino intercity service, operating regularly between the major cities, with Roma Termini acting as the hub of the operation. There are also "normal" intercity trains, which operate between both the smaller and the larger cities. They also operate the night trains between Rome and Milan (through Florence), between Milan and Naples or Venice, and a service south into Sicily. Trenitalia also operates the regional network and certain aspects of the international operations.
Furthermore, it holds a 51% stake in TX Logistik AG, the biggest private German freight company (which also operates in Austria, Switzerland and Sweden).
High speed lines
In 2008 high-speed rail service commenced in Italy with about 1000 kilometers of new rails that allow trains to reach speeds over 300km/h. There are currently four generations of ElettroTreno.
In 2010 Trenitalia invited tenders for 50 high speed trainsets,[2] Alstom and a consortium of Bombardier and Ansaldo Breda have been selected as bidders. The new trains will be series ETR1000.[3]
Online Booking
Tickets can be booked online, which ensures passengers a seat and allows them to avoid queues at the station. There is also a discount scheme for advance purchases, ranging from 15% off for 7 days in advance to 60% off for 30 days in advance. The previous 5% discount for booking online was canceled on December 13, 2009.
At time of writing (April 2010), the website is only accepting Italian Amex cards.[4] In addition, non-Italian residents have frequently reported difficulties in getting their credit card accepted.[5] For non Italian residents who have a Visa or Mastercard, enrolling in the Verified by Visa scheme and similar for Mastercard before using the site may increase the chances of a successful transaction.
International passenger trains
At the moment there are various types of international trains in Italy which are usually marketed by separate units, which also set ticket prices and service standards, but do not operate the trains.
- Artésia: 50% owned by Trenitalia, 50% owned by SNCF, the French railway operator. The company mainly markets TGV services from Paris to Milan and night trains with normal EuroCity carriages from various cities in Italy to Paris. Both the night and day trains are operated by SNCF in France and Trenitalia in Italy. For TGVs the train engineers, train managers, and ticket collectors change in Modane station, on the French border. The bar is operated all the way through by Cremonini. For night trains, a locomotive change is done as well. The bed carriage staff is operated by an outside company. The trains, at the moment, do not operate with Artesia colours.
- Elipsos: 50% owned by SNCF, 50% owned by RENFE, the Spanish railway operator. The company's trains are operated by Trenitalia in Italy. The trains run between Milan and Barcelona with RENFE carriages. The staff onboard are all from the Compagnie des Wagons Lits (with Elipsos badges). The train manager is from RENFE throughout the journey, but two Trenitalia staff are present during the journey in Italy for security reasons. The locomotive in Italy is owned and operated by Trenitalia. In Modane the locomotive is changed and an SNCF one is used for the journey through France. From the Spanish border, a RENFE locomotive runs the train to Barcelona. The Elipsos service runs only three times a week between Milan and Barcelona.
- TILO: 50% owned by Trenitalia, 50% owned by SBB CFF FFS The company runs the regional services between Italy and Switzerland. The staff all change at the border and are either FS Trenitalia or SBB CFF FFS.
There are two other brands which are not actual divisions, but just names given to these trains/services.
- Riviera: Trains between Italy and Nice, France. These trains have been discontinued. Passengers must change at Ventimiglia to catch a train there for Nice.
- Allegro: Trains between Italy and Austria. With the exception of one night train, Rome-Vienna and Venice-Vienna, all Allegro services between Italy and Vienna have been cut. These trains were replaced by buses.
References
- ^ Trenitalia financial report 2008
- ^ Trenitalia to buy 50 high-speed trains International Railway Journal , 1/2010 , via findarticles.com
- ^ Un treno per il futuro 1/6/2010 , www.fsnews.it
- ^ http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=453d123b41b9a110VgnVCM1000003f16f90aRCRD#11
- ^ http://forum.virtualtourist.com/discussion-507280-1-1-Travel-0-144659-Rome-discussion.html and many other discussions at www.VirtualTourist.com
External links
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- Ferrovie dello Stato Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{lang-en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead.
- Ferrovie dello Stato Template:It
- Italian Railway Information
- Real-time train tracking - Trenitalia