High-speed development before a phase of consolidation in the years to come: Trenitalia has taken stock of a year 2025 full of new developments for the Italian company. Celebrating four years on the French railways this month, Trenitalia has first of all seen in April the restart of the Paris-Milan line, suspended for 13 months due to a landslide in the La Maurienne valley. Although the impact of this stoppage is estimated to have been the loss of 900,000 potential passengers, Trenitalia was delighted with the almost immediate return of customers for this line which, in addition to providing a year-round service to Saint Jean de Maurienne, which the SNCF does not offer, also stands out by linking the two major economic centres of Lyon and Milan.
Then, in mid-June, Trenitalia saw its first TGVs arrive at Marseille Saint Charles station from Paris, with stops in Avignon and Aix-en-Provence, the latter representing "the first TGV in France". almost 40 % of passenger boardings and alightings on this line "explains Fabrice ToledanoMarketing Director of Trenitalia France. Finally, in the coming days, Trenitalia will be ending the year with a bang on 14 December, with the number of daily return trips between Paris and Lyon increasing from 9 to 14.
With more frequencies in the morning and afternoon, Trenitalia will now provide a third of the TGV services on this strategic route for business travellers. And there's another new feature: the possibility of reaching Milan from Marseille with a connection in Lyon. "I would like to thank SNCF Réseaux, because the collaboration with the infrastructure managers is very important that to build the timetables and achieve this result, said Marco Caposciutti, President of Trenitalia France. These fourteen round trips between Paris and Lyon are in addition to those operated by SNCF. For customers, this means a major improvement in service. This is in line with our ambition from the outset in France, which has been to grow the rail market alongside the incumbent operator".
A recent study by Trainline shows the positive impact of this opening up to competition for passengers, with fares falling by 10% between Paris and Lyon and by almost 30% on Paris-Marseille since the arrival of Trenitalia, while fares on a route with no competition, such as Paris-Bordeaux, rose by 9 % between summer 2024 and summer 2025. " Looking ahead to 2025, studies show that 15% of our passengers would not have taken the train without the Trenitalia offer. This figure reflects both the modal shift towards rail from more polluting modes of transport and the increase in the market. "says Fabrice Toledano.
All these developments have been made possible by the increase from 5 to 9 trainsets approved to operate on French high-speed lines, while Trenitalia has also launched multiple-unit trains, a novelty that gives the company the capacity to respond to peaks in passenger numbers at the beginning or end of holidays. As a result, Trenitalia will end 2025 with more than 1.7 million passengers carried, almost double the figure for the previous year, and with a corresponding increase in turnover, from forty million euros in 2024 to around ninety million euros this year.
So, of course, faced with the investment needed to establish itself on the market, as well as high toll costs, Trenitalia France is not yet profitable, but it is following the planned trajectory with " revenues linked to market dynamics "According to its directors. Another major investment of around sixty million euros is on the horizon, with the creation of a maintenance centre, probably in the south of Paris. This will not only meet the company's need for greater autonomy, but also support the forthcoming launch of new routes, with new-generation Frecciarossa aircraft due to operate between Paris and London. by 2030.
" The Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS) group is currently evaluating the possibility of having partners for this project, such as Evolyn or others.explains Marco Caposciutti. But, importantly, the business will be run by our group, with Trenitalia France as the operating company. ". Paris-London in a few years' time, a Rome-Berlin line probably next year: these prospects are part of the vision of the group headed by Stefano Antonio Donnarumma: to bring about a high-speed "European metro" linking the continent's major cities. In this context, Trenitalia France has been a subsidiary of FS International, the company managing all the group's activities outside Italy, since 1ᵉʳ November.
But before going any further, Trenitalia France's business will enter a consolidation phase in 2026, and probably the following year. With the exception of the Paris-London route, the only change in service in France currently envisaged could see Trenitalia eventually launch Intercity services to complete its network on the Paris-Mediterranean route.
While its services are unlikely to change for some time, Trenitalia is planning further improvements to its timetable to meet passenger expectations. But the company's main focus will be on its customers. " With the increase in our frequencies, it is important to increase the number of customerssaid Marco Caposciutti. All our marketing activities will be focused on developing partnerships with territories or B2C, but they will concentrate in particular on B2B customers. ".
With its Serenita Pro offer, based on a clear and flexible range of fares with exchangeable tickets, but also its different travel classes - including a Business Executive to which the SNCF has just replied with its Optimum + offer on the Tgv Inoui between Paris and Lyon, "competition stimulating innovation" in the eyes of the CEO of Trenitalia France - or even the Sala Meeting meeting room, Trenitalia has built up a business customer base that is only waiting to grow. " On average, 45% of passengers on our trains travel for business or semi-business reasons. That's a lot, bearing in mind that the opening up of B2B channels is not yet complete. "says Fabrice Toledano.
The company has announced that more than 600 companies use Trenitalia Pro, a figure boosted by the signing this year of a contract with Amadeus to reach travel agencies. " But there are other players and other agency networks that we are working on. We have opened up Amadeus, Wondermiles and Goelett, but there are still other distribution channels to be opened up. "says the company's Marketing Director. One of the projects for the coming year, with another major ambition for 2026: to offer a frequent flyer card for the first time.
