Trenitalia
Encyclopedia
Trenitalia is the primary train operator in 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
.
, Belgium
, France
, Germany
, Hungary
, Slovenia
, Spain
, and Switzerland
. The company operates both local (Regional) and long-distance trains.
or between neighboring regions. Trains usually stops in almost all stations, thus connecting small centers to big cities. Local train rolling stock comprises about 4500 carriages, 850 locomotive
s and more than 2600 other light rail cars.
Intercity trains are cheaper and serve also medium-sized cities, thus being slower. Night trains operate mainly between north and south of Italy and are comparable to intercity level.
high-speed rail
service in Italy commenced in 2008 with about 1000 km of new rails that allow trains to reach speeds over 300 km/h (186.4 mph). There are currently four generations of ElettroTreno
in service.
Trenitalia ordered 50 high speed trainsets in 2010, New trains will be ETR1000 series. They will be 200 metres (656.2 ft) long, non-articulated trains, with distributed traction, and capable of up to 400 km/h (248.5 mph) operation, although current service plans are limited to 360 km/h (223.7 mph). Mauro Moretti, chief executive of FS group, said FS was considering long-distance international services to France
, Germany
, or even Spain
and the UK. The trains are due to enter service from 2013.
There are two other brands which are not actual divisions, but just names given to these trains/services.
As of April 2010, the website only accepts Italian Amex cards. In addition, non-Italian residents have frequently reported difficulties in getting their credit card accepted. 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.
, Sweden
, Denmark
, Norway
, Austria
, Switzerland
, Netherlands
and Hungary
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Trenitalia is owned by Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato
Ferrovie dello Stato is a government-owned holding which manage infrastructure and service on the Italian rail network. The subsidiary Trenitalia is the main rail operator in Italy.-Organization:Ferrovie dello Stato subsidiaries are:...
, itself owned by the Italian Government. It was created in 2000 following the EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
directive on the deregulation
Deregulation
Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or...
of rail transport
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
.
Passenger transport
Trenitalia offers national rail transport in Italy and international connections to AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The company operates both local (Regional) and long-distance trains.
Regional trains
Regional trains are local trains which travel within a regionRegions of Italy
The regions of Italy are the first-level administrative divisions of the state, constituting its first NUTS administrative level. There are twenty regions, of which five are constitutionally given a broader amount of autonomy granted by special statutes....
or between neighboring regions. Trains usually stops in almost all stations, thus connecting small centers to big cities. Local train rolling stock comprises about 4500 carriages, 850 locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s and more than 2600 other light rail cars.
Long-distance trains
Long-distance national trains are divided into 3 main divisions: the Frecce (arrows) and Eurostar trains, Intercity trains and night trains. The first are generally considered to be high-end service and usually connect major cities. There are three types of Frecce:- Frecciarossa and Frecciargento, which are high-speed trains and run mainly on high-speed lines;
- Frecciabianca, which run on traditional lines;
- other Eurostar ItaliaEurostar ItaliaEurostar Italia is a network of Italian high-speed inter-city trains, operated by Trenitalia . Trenitalia states that there are 130 train journeys per day....
trains which connects smaller centers.
Intercity trains are cheaper and serve also medium-sized cities, thus being slower. Night trains operate mainly between north and south of Italy and are comparable to intercity level.
High speed lines
High-speed rail in Italy
High-speed rail in Italy currently consists of two high-speed lines connecting all the major cities in Italy. The first line connects Milan to Naples passing through Bologna, Florence and Rome. The second route runs from Turin to Venice via Milan, and is still under construction in some parts...
service in Italy commenced in 2008 with about 1000 km of new rails that allow trains to reach speeds over 300 km/h (186.4 mph). There are currently four generations of ElettroTreno
ElettroTreno
ETR is a series of Italian high-speed trains.-Tilting EMU trains:*ETR 401*ETR 450*ETR 460*ETR 470*ETR 480*ETR 600 These models are often referred as Pendolino....
in service.
Trenitalia ordered 50 high speed trainsets in 2010, New trains will be ETR1000 series. They will be 200 metres (656.2 ft) long, non-articulated trains, with distributed traction, and capable of up to 400 km/h (248.5 mph) operation, although current service plans are limited to 360 km/h (223.7 mph). Mauro Moretti, chief executive of FS group, said FS was considering long-distance international services to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, or even Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and the UK. The trains are due to enter service from 2013.
International passenger trains
There are several 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.- ArtésiaArtésiaTGV Artesia is a service branding and joint venture between France and Italy. Trains are staffed by Trenitalia in Italy and SNCF in France. The bar/restaurant service is operated by Cremonini. As of 2007, routes include service between Paris Gare de Lyon and Paris-Bercy to Turin, Milan, Venice,...
: 50% owned by Trenitalia, 50% owned by SNCFSNCFThe SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
, the French railway operator. The company mainly markets TGVTGVThe TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
services from ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
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. Currently, the trains do not operate with Artesia colours.
- ElipsosElipsosElipsos ELIPSOS INTERNACIONAL, S.A. is a company governed by Spanish law which was set up in 2001 by Spanish RENFE and French SNCF on a 50-50 basis. It was created in 2001 to handle the logistics of Trenhotel night railway services between Spain and France, Spain and Switzerland, and Spain and Italy...
: 50% owned by SNCF, 50% owned by RENFERENFERenfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668-mm "Iberian gauge" and 1435-mm "European gauge" networks of the Spanish national railway infrastructure company ADIF .- History :The name RENFE is derived from that of the former Spanish National...
, the Spanish railway operator. The company's trains are operated by Trenitalia in Italy. Trains run between Milan and BarcelonaBarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
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.
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% to 60% off the base ticket price. The previous 5% discount for online booking was canceled on December 13, 2009.As of April 2010, the website only accepts Italian Amex cards. In addition, non-Italian residents have frequently reported difficulties in getting their credit card accepted. 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.
Freight transport
Trenitalia Cargo division transports about 28 billion tons km. Its rolling stock comprises more than 30,000 freight cars. International traffic accounts for the 53% of the total. Trenitalia Cargo operates in Europe in collaboration with other european train operators or with the subsidiary TX Logistik AG, which operates in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
.