SNCF Voyages Italia will launch its low-cost TGV service, Ouigo, in Italy in September 2027, aiming to compete with the two existing rail operators, Trenitalia and Italo (*). SNCF Voyageurs will allocate a budget of €800 million for this venture. This will be used to acquire 15 Avelia Horizon trainsets from Alstom, more commonly known as "TGV M," and to recruit 400 local staff, including drivers, conductors, and maintenance agents.
Green light was given in mid-March when the Italian Competition and Market Authority ruled in favour of SNCF against the obstruction of infrastructure manager Rete Ferrovia Italia (RFI), which had no choice but to grant it slots for an initial ten-year period.
About ten return trips per day from Turin
Thus, to begin with, SNCF Voyages Italia will be able to operate 7 return trips per day between Turin and Naples via Rome and 2 return trips between Turin and Venice, before increasing to 9 services for the first route and 4 for the second. SNCF Voyageurs Italia had, however, hoped to operate these 13 return trips daily from its launch in September 2027.
Pour faire sa place dans la Botte, la SNCF attaquera le marché avec des tarifs inférieurs de 15% à 20% comparé à ses concurrents, une offre low cost permise par des rames neuves à deux étages, plus capacitaires de 40%, qui permettront d’abaisser les coûts. De quoi transporter sur ces deux axes « a total of 7 million passengers per year », according to Christophe Fanichet, the CEO of SNCF Voyageurs, who believes that the arrival of a third player and this low-price offer will relaunch high-speed traffic in Italy.
The SNCF held a 20%stake in Italo at its launch in 2012 before selling its shares three years later. Its capital is now shared between the MSC group (49.23%), Global Infrastructure Partners (36.51%) and the insurer Allianz (10.79%).
