From Rome to Munich on a Frecciarossa train, via Innsbruck. Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) has begun test runs of the Frecciarossa trains operated by Trenitalia in Germany and Austria, as part of the international certification phase.
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The FS Group has announced that the launch of services between Milan and Munich and between Rome and Munich is scheduled for the summer of 2027 "following the successful completion of the approval process for the new trains".
After France and Spain, and with the goal of reaching the United Kingdom via the Channel Tunnel by 2029, Italy's state railways are now arriving in the heart of Europe as well. The initiative is being carried out in partnership with the German and Austrian national railways, Deutsche Bahn and ÖBB.
The opening of the Brenner Base Tunnel will cut journey times by around an hour and, from December 2028, the full service will consist of ten connections between Italy and Germany, covering the routes between Milan, Rome and Munich and later extended to Naples and Berlin.
Where will the new services stop?
The commercial offer envisages four connections on the Milan - Munich and Rome - Munich routes.
On the Milan - Munich route, with a journey time of about six and a half hours, the main intermediate stops will be Brescia, Verona, Rovereto, Trento, Bolzano and Innsbruck.
On the Rome - Munich route, with a journey time of about eight and a half hours, the main stops will be Florence, Bologna, Verona, Rovereto, Trento, Bolzano and Innsbruck.
Towards the new 'European Metro' network
"The start of test runs in Germany and Austria is a step towards delivering a project that confirms our ambition to make the train the benchmark mode of transport for mobility across Europe," said FS chief executive and general manager Gianpiero Strisciuglio.
"Thanks to our partnership with Deutsche Bahn and ÖBB, we are moving towards creating the High-Speed 'European Metro', offering passengers a service able to bring regions, people and economies closer together," Strisciuglio explained.
The FS chief added that Frecciarossa "is thus continuing its international growth path, taking the FS Group's technological and industrial excellence abroad and helping to develop an increasingly integrated European rail network".
The Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini, has also expressed satisfaction with the milestone achieved. Salvini described it as "a further step confirming the growth of the FS Group and its ability to win new markets abroad, while providing better services and infrastructure in Italy. More jobs, more connections, more Italy in Europe".
The agreement between Trenitalia and Deutsche Bahn will also make it possible to share technical expertise so that the trains can adapt to different power-supply and signalling systems, speeding up the required technical process and keeping associated costs under control. At the same time as the prototypes were being built, training programmes for German and Austrian driving staff were also launched.
The Frecciarossa, compliant with European interoperability technical specifications, has been designed and built to run in Italy and on the rail networks of France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium.
The new connection will also affect rail links with other countries, capturing demand for travel to destinations such as Frankfurt and Krakow.