Passenger services • Trenitalia
Note: For educational purpose only. This page is meant purely as a documentation tool and has no legal effect. It is not a substitute for the official page of the operating company, manufacturer or official institutions. It cannot be used for staff training, which is the responsibility of approved institutions and companies.
In brief
Trenitalia S.p.A. is Italy’s main passenger rail company, wholly owned by the state‑controlled Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane group. It was created in 2000 as part of a restructuring required by European Union rail liberalisation to separate infrastructure management from train operations, with Rete Ferroviaria Italiana taking over the network while Trenitalia runs the services. The firm is headquartered in Rome and operates a comprehensive domestic rail network, from regional commuter trains to long‑distance and high‑speed services, linking hundreds of Italian cities and serving tens of millions of passengers every year.
The company’s operations are divided into business units handling high‑speed, InterCity and regional traffic. Trenitalia’s high‑speed trains include the Frecciarossa, Frecciargento and Frecciabianca brands, with Frecciarossa trains capable of very fast services on major lines such as Turin–Milan and Rome–Naples. Daily, hundreds of trains connect major urban centres, transporting hundreds of thousands of travellers. In the regional sector, services are run under contracts with Italian regions and use a variety of rolling stock to serve local commuters. Trenitalia also operates night and InterCity trains that provide connections across the broader national network.
Trenitalia is today the designated brand for the FS Group’s rail transport activities in Italy and constitutes a distinct business unit within the Group, while the foreign operations that previously carried its name have been consolidated into an International division.
| COMPANY TYPE | ||
|---|---|---|
| Country of registration: | Italy | |
| Name: | Trenitalia Spa | |
| Subsdiary/Branding from: | Ferrovie dello Stato | |
| Year founded (under this name): | June 1, 2000 | |
| Sector: | Passenger transport | |
| Investor(s) / Owner: | 100% Ferrovie dello Stato | |
| Headquartered at: | Rome | |
| Management of infrastructure: | no | |
| Management of stations: | no | |
| ACTIVITIES | ||
| Regional & local traffic: | Direzione Business Regionale | |
| Long distance traffic: | Direzione Business InterCity | |
| High speed train services: | Direzione Business Alta Velocità | |
| Freight traffic: | no | |
| Traction: | yes | |
| Urban transport: | no | |
| Leasing: | no | |
| Infrastructure works: | no | |
| Rolling stock maintenance: | yes – only for herself |
Background
In 1998, complying with the European railway legislation, the Italian government decided to vertically separate the infrastructure and services of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FSI). Trenitalia is a subsidiary of the FSI Group and was established on 1 June 2000 as Italy’s main rail transport operator, while Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) was created as the manager of the national railway infrastructure. RFI is fully controlled by FS Holding, which also owns Trenitalia and remains 100% state-owned.
Around 2013 and 2014, the Italian railways underwent significant changes marked by structural reforms and the introduction of a new regulator. The reforms were implemented under the government of Enrico Letta, who served as Prime Minister from April 2013 to February 2014. These modifications had a profound impact on the Italian railway system, making it more competitive and market-oriented.
One of the most relevant changes was the establishment of the Transport Regulation Authority (ART), created in 2014 to ensure greater transparency and competition in the sector. This authority is responsible for overseeing tariffs, service quality, and access to infrastructure, promoting a balance between the needs of various railway operators. With the presence of ART, a new culture of accountability and performance was introduced, encouraging companies to enhance their services to attract more passengers. At the same time, the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS) group underwent a significant transformation.
The restructuring led to a clearer separation between infrastructure management and operational functions. This process favored greater efficiency and allowed the group to focus on innovation and modernization of services. The entry of new operators into the market, such as Italo, intensified competition, compelling FS to improve service quality and adapt to customer needs.
After the pandemic, the Italian passenger rail landscape was as follows:
- 1 independant company, NTV-Italo, operating HS and mixed services nationwide;
- 3 international companies, all belonging to neighbouring countries and operating in Italy independently (SNCF), or through Trenitalia (SBB) or through other Italian tractionompanies (OEBB);
- 20 regional companies, often but not exclusively operating on their own network. Among them, 2 are partnerships between Trenitalia and a regionally owned company (Trenord and Trenitalia-TPER).
FS Group organisation today
Following the adoption of the 2025–2029 Strategic Plan, the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group introduced a new organisational structure consisting of five main Business Units, each headed by a Lead Company.
- Infrastructure – Rail: led by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana S.p.A. (RFI), responsible for managing and developing the national railway infrastructure.
- Infrastructure – Roads: led by ANAS S.p.A., responsible for the management and maintenance of Italy’s road and motorway network.
- Transport – Freight: led by FS Logistix, focused on freight transport and integrated logistics.
- Transport – International Passenger Services: led by FS International S.p.A., focused on international passenger transport services.
- Transport – Passenger Services: led by Trenitalia S.p.A., focused on passenger transport services at national level. This is the division being referred to on this page.
➤ See our dedicated page about FS Group
Trenitalia is naturally the best‑known element of the Italian railway system, as it is the country’s main rail operator. The confusion has grown in recent years with the introduction of Frecciarossa high‑speed trains in France and Spain, identical to those running in Italy.
In France, the operator is even branded Trenitalia France, whereas in Spain the service is run by a consortium with two Spanish partners, and the trains operate under the iryo brand, while retaining the Trenitalia visual identity.
Since 2025, the FS Group has brought these foreign services together within a new “International” division, meaning that the services in France and Spain should no longer be regarded as subsidiaries of Trenitalia, but as subsidiaries of the FS Group.
However, the various documents available around 2025–2026 were not yet entirely clear on this point.
Italy’s implementation of the EU’s NextGenerationEU programme (PNRR) marks a major shift, as the country becomes a net beneficiary of EU funds for the first time due to its economic fragility. Italy receives €68.9 billion in grants and €122.6 billion in loans—€191.5 billion in total—and is the only member state planning to use all available loans (CERRE, 2023).
While the EU intended the plan to combine investment with structural reforms, Italy has treated it primarily as an investment programme. The tight 2026 spending deadline led to the inclusion of almost every “ready” project, with rail absorbing most funds because RFI can deploy large budgets quickly. Reallocating national funds freed an additional €30 billion for further projects.
Although PNRR will complete many rail works, longstanding issues persist: limited focus on network performance, risk of underfunded operations, overdesign, procedural distortions, and increased public debt.
Trenitalia today
After the pandemic, the FS Group shifted toward a strategy called Passenger Hub, an organizational and commercial concept for the Group’s passenger services. It centralizes train operations and complementary services (train–bus intermodality, new routes, international services, etc.) in order to offer passengers an integrated network.
Trenitalia was restructuring in 2021 its organization to increase market value and better address stakeholder needs. To enhance coordination and neutrality, a new planning and management‑control framework is introduced, based on a matrix relationship between the Administration, Finance and Control Directorate and the business and technical units.
Three key organizational changes were implemented under the CEO’s direct supervision.
- Regional Business Division (Direzione Business Regionale), includes subsidized regional and local services and ensure the achievement of efficiency, customer‑satisfaction targets, management and optimization of production, maintenance, and commercial processes, in alignment with the company’s and the Group’s strategic framework;
- InterCity Business Division (Direzione Business InterCity) was established, focused on Intercity services, taking over operations and commercial processes from the Long Haul Passenger Division;
- High‑Speed Business Division (Direzione Business Alta Velocità) was established, focused on High-Speed services, taking over operations and commercial processes from the Long Haul Passenger Division and providing sales and customer‑service support to the Intercity Business Directorate.
Trenitalia therefore covers the entire network open to passenger traffic in Italy and, to this end, employs a wide range of rolling stock, selected according to the needs and operational roles of its various divisions.
The intention is to establish a clear separation between ownership and operation, with the first concrete effects potentially emerging as early as June 2026, when tenders are launched for State‑subsidised regional and InterCity (IC) contracts. Until now, these contracts have been almost systematically awarded to Trenitalia. The objective is to enable other operators to submit bids more easily by leasing rolling stock directly from the public ROSCO.
Direzione Business Regionale
Background
Originally established on 26 March 1993 as the “Transport Area”, the structure was renamed in 1996 as the “Metropolitan and Regional Transport Strategic Business Area”. In 1999, following the reorganisation of Ferrovie dello Stato and the creation of Trenitalia S.p.A., it became the “Regional Transport Division”. On 13 March 2005, it was redesignated the “Local Passenger Business Unit” and, together with the National and International Passenger Business Units, placed under the Passenger Operations Directorate. In January 2006, it was reorganised once again as a directorate, before returning in November 2006 to the status of Regional Passenger Division, essentially maintaining the same functions.
Regional traffic today
With the Legislative Decree n. 422 of 1997, the responsibility of the management of the regional rail transport service lies in the hands of each Region. The Regions replaced the State in the role of interlocutor with the different entities that operate in the regional sector. It stipulates that the cost of the service (excluding infrastructure costs) must be covered by fare revenue at a minimum level of 30%. It is then up to the Regions to provide additional financial resources to ensure the full economic viability of regional rail transport.
It operates on the basis of service contracts concluded with 15 Italian regions, as well as with the autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano. With a few specific features:
- In Lombardy, the dominant operator is Trenord, which operates most of the Regionale services in and around Milano;
- On 15 May 2014, Trenitalia and Tper agreed to form a temporary consortium to bid jointly for the Emilia‑Romagna regional rail contract. After the tender process, the new company Trenitalia Tper was created and fully operational from 1 January 2020;
- Ferrovie del Sud Est, a subsidiary of the FS Group, is a limited company providing rail and road transport. It operates both infrastructure and train services, offering regional connections around Bari, Taranto, Brindisi and Lecce.
The regional market is completely in the hands of incumbents and no region was doing open tenders until 2023, date on which internal allocations were no longer permitted under the Fourth European Railway Package. Before this date, in Emilia-Romagna a tender was done and a joint venture between Trenitalia and the local company TPER has won it. In Lombardia a similar joint venture, Trenord, holds the largest and richest Italian regional market and benefited from a direct allocation for 10 years, despite poor performances.
The 6,800 regional trains operated on the whole territory rely on two main service types:
- Regionale (R) services are Italy’s local trains, stopping at nearly every station along their routes. A wide variety of rolling stock operates on these services, as Trenitalia is gradually phasing out some of Europe’s oldest trains;
- Regionale Veloce (RV) is a specific category of semi‑fast regional train service in Italy used mainly on conventional rail lines rather than high‑speed ones. These are the trains formerly known as Medie Distanze. These services are part of the regional rail network and are usually operated under regional service contracts, meaning they are subsidized by regional authorities and priced at the same level as slower regional trains (Regionale), with the same ticketing and refund rules.
Here is a selection of the most recent rolling stock used by Trenitalia on its various regional services, bearing in mind that older trainsets are still in operation and are expected to be withdrawn soon. It should be noted that since the end of 2024, Trenitalia has stopped giving its trainsets musical names. We still use them here for clarity.
The main fleet managed today:
1998 – …
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Alstom
2004 – …
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1ste batch: Corifer
2de batch: AnsaldoBreda
2005/2012 – …
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Alstom (Coradia Meridian)
2014 – …
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Alstom (Coradia Stream)
2019 – …
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Hitachi
2019 – …
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In October 2025, Alstom and Trenitalia have presented a 200 km/h variant of the Coradia Stream EMU to operate on the Firenze–Roma Direttissima. Twelve eight‑car sets have been ordered under a 2021 framework for up to 150 trains, funded jointly by the Umbria region and Trenitalia. Trenitalia sees the new trains as a key step in renewing its regional fleet, aiming for 80% renewal by 2027. Unveiled at Milano Fiorenza depot during Expo Ferroviaria, the launch also showcased models for South Tirol and future inter‑city services from 2026.
Direzione Business InterCity
Despite the growing share of high-speed rail in long-distance travel in Italy, the FS Group has not abandoned conventional trains or night trains, even though these have declined significantly since the 1990s. This is why the Direzione Business InterCity was created within Trenitalia.
The Intercity Business Directorate defines marketing strategies, commercial offerings, and revenue‑growth levers, while developing innovative solutions to improve user experience. The Directorate plans and manages IC transport services, coordinates with High‑Speed Business for sales and customer care, guarantees compliance with national public‑service obligations and oversees investment needs.
Background
Trenitalia’s Intercity service is above all a policy of maintaining trains positioned between high‑speed services and slower regional services. This is something France has struggled to develop, whereas in Germany the Deutsche Bahn “Intercity” concept operates both conventional and high‑speed trainsets interchangeably, using the same livery and offering the same level of service. Italy, instead, chose to give this segment a more distinctive identity through several dedicated products.
The subsidy structure is quite clear in Italy. Market long-distance trains get no subsidies and rely only on ticket revenues. They account for 86.6% of long-distance services (derived from 31 data – CERRE, 2023). The remaining 13% includes any “Intercity” train, subsidised yearly with more than 316M€ in 2019 and with a cost coverage from fares of approx. 55%. These trains are operated with conventional rolling stock (but increasingly with old HS rolling stock), run on conventional tracks and cover some subnational markets, in particular the long connections with Southern Italy, some trains from Eastern Italy to Rome and most of trains operating on the Tyrrenian coast from the Po Valley. Why these trains are subsidised and not others have never been clarified: they are simply the subsidyneeding trains coming from past timetables.
In 2006, Trenitalia introduced a service called Eurostar Italia to connect the major cities of the peninsula. In 2011, this service had to be renamed Le Frecce (“The Arrow”) to avoid confusion with the Eurostar company operating trains between Brussels, Paris and London. Le Frecce then brought together the service categories Frecciabianca, Frecciargento, and Frecciarossa.
Night trains in search of a second life
In the 1990s, night trains (“Intercity Notte”, “EuroNight”) still accounted for a significant share of long‑distance rail travel in Italy — reaching around 42% of all Italian intercity services in 1999, according to some sources. These trains, once managed separately, were gradually integrated into the InterCity Business Unit.
During the 1990s and 2000s Trenitalia attempted a revival by converting around twenty MU sleeping cars into the more comfortable “Excelsior” standard. However, the initiative did not progress very far, overshadowed by the rapid rise of high‑speed services, which had become Trenitalia’s flagship offering. Night-time traffic has decreased, with only a handful of connections remaining.
In 2016, a new Intercity Giorno e Notte livery was unveiled with the 2017-2026 service contract. This rebranding was accompanied by a significant increase in financial coverage, from €242 million per year to €347 million (+105) for 2017 and €357 million (+112) for each of the following nine years, thus responding to Trenitalia’s repeated requests to adjust the fare to the higher costs of the service and lower revenues from tickets sold in recent years for this type of train.
InterCity today
As part of Trenitalia’s reorganization under its Passenger Hub strategy, a new reform of the Intercity service was introduced. In May 2022, Luigi Corradi, then CEO of Trenitalia, announced that the Frecciargento and Frecciabianca services would be gradually phased out and that the entire fleet of ETR 400, 500, 600, and 700 trainsets would be unified under the Frecciarossa brand, the flagship of Italian high‑speed rail. The Frecciarossa brand, already well‑established and appreciated in Italy, was further strengthened by its presence abroad, with international services retaining the Frecciarossa name. This marked the beginning of a new era for subsidized intermediate‑tier services.
At that time, Intercity offers 124 daily connections, including 24 Intercity Notte services, reaching more than 200 stations across Italy. In 2024, these service was travelled by over 17 million passengers, which would tend to underscore the importance of these subsidized services.
In March 2024, Trenitalia (FS Italiane Group) unveiled in Reggio di Calabria the first of seven hybrid Intercity trains designed for routes between Calabria, Basilicata, and Puglia. These presentation coincided with the launch of a new image for the Intercity brand, which saw a restyling of the logo, a refreshed livery, and new names for the service levels, becoming “Plus” for first class and ‘Easy’ for second class on Intercity, while “Easy,” “Comfort,” “Relax,” and “Superior” are used for Intercity Notte.
In order to reinforce the renewed brand identity of Trenitalia’s medium and long-distance trains, a partnership was established with the Pantone Colour Institute to create ‘InterCity Blue’, the shade of blue that now adorns the new livery of Intercity trains and reflects the brand’s key characteristics: accessibility, comfort, affordability and sustainability. Conventional rolling stock is therefore set to receive the new livery.
Various rolling stock
90’s – …
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Various rolling stock
90’s – …
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Hitachi
2024 – …
The arrival of regional‑type multiple units on the InterCity market follows a trend seen elsewhere in Europe on medium‑distance routes. This is the case, for example, with the Eurocity+ services between Amsterdam and Brussels, operated with Alstom Coradia units, or with the services run by Leo Express in the Czech Republic. Travelling 300 or 400 kilometres in comfort closer to that of a regional train now seems to be becoming the norm, something older passengers particularly regret.
It is currently unclear what Trenitalia intends to do regarding future rolling stock for this subsidised InterCity segment, especially as the locomotive‑hauled sets with E.414 locomotives are in their final years of service.
The exception concerns night trains, which Trenitalia intends to maintain, supported by new coaches ordered from Škoda Group and Titagarh Firema SpA. This consortium is supplying new sleeping carriages for Trenitalia’s Intercity Notte night trains. The contract allows for up to 370 carriages under the framework (valued around €732.5 million), and the first firm order is for 70 cars that are scheduled to enter service from June 2026.
Direzione Business Alta Velocità
It is undoubtedly the most high‑profile business unit within Trenitalia, serving as the company’s true standard‑bearer. As noted earlier, in May 2022 the Frecciabianca services were withdrawn and replaced by InterCity, while the Frecciargento brand was folded into the single Frecciarossa identity — the red arrow that has become the emblem of Italian railway expertise.
By 2022, Trenitalia had already spent a decade facing a formidable high‑speed competitor, NTV‑Italo. High‑speed competition has since become a subject of keen study across Europe, and this rivalry — once viewed with suspicion — has undoubtedly acted as a powerful catalyst in achieving the quality associated with today’s Frecciarossa services.
1992 is generally regarded as the true starting point of Italian high‑speed rail, marked by the completion of the 314‑kilometre direttissima between Florence and Rome. Since then, the rail network has expanded considerably across the entire country.
➤ See our specific page about High speed train in Italy
Rolling stock
The first Italian high‑speed trainsets, the ETR 500, entered service with 30 units delivered between 1992 and 1996, followed by a further 30 sets between 2005 and 2007. The first generation could only operate under 3kV, while the second generation also ran under the newly installed 25kV. 3kV power-cars were subsequently transferred to Intercity services as ‘locomotives’ for conventionnal long-distance trains under 3kV. ETR 500s should have been an export product, but this never happened because Europe in the 1990s and 2000s was not yet ready in terms of interoperability.
The fleet today
The decision to discontinue the Frecciargento services resulted in the entire fleet being consolidated into a single group operated under the Frecciarossa brand, which we briefly outline below:
Consortium Trevi
1992 – …
Alstom
2007 – …
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Alstom
(2012) / 2019 – …
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Alstom
2015 – …
➤ See our specific page about Frecciarossa 🟧
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