Trenitalia France has just formalised its intention to operate Paris-London services from 2029, which will bring an end to Eurostar's monopoly on this cross-Channel route, in place since 1994. For this project, and also to support its development plan in France and Europe, the subsidiary of the Italian rail group FS International is placing an order for 19 trainsets with the manufacturer Hitachi Rail for a significant amount of 2 billion euros.
These future single-deck trains unlike the TGV M designed by Alstom for SNCF will thus be able to run on the various European high-speed rail networks. They will, however, have to obtain certification to run through the Channel Tunnel. Being greener by ensuring a significant reduction in energy consumption in particular, these Hitachi trains will also mean greater comfort on board for passengers in the various travel classes and improved services with better quality Wi-Fi, a redesigned catering offer, a new bistro concept...
A maintenance facility for all of Trenitalia France's rolling stock is also currently being developed in the Paris suburbs, in Maisons-Alfort, in order to put a stop to regularly sending them to Italy as is currently the case. It should be noted that 9 of the Frecciarossa 1000 trains ordered are intended to replace those currently operating from Paris to Lyon, Marseille or Milan, which will be returned to the FS International group.
" The new trains and the new maintenance depot at Maisons-Alfort Pompadour are fundamental elements for the launch of the Paris–London service, a project at the heart of our vision of the "European Metro", the integrated high-speed network that will increasingly connect major European cities”, said Gianpiero Strisciuglio, CEO and General Manager of the FS Italiane Group, in a press release.
An investment backed by the Certares fund
While Trenitalia France has reportedly lost around €150m since its launch in France four years ago, this growth project is backed by funding from the fund Certares with which a strategic partnership was established last December, providing for a €300m investment in the rail company. Highly active in the tourism and travel sector since 2012, Certares intends in particular to boost the distribution of Trenitalia via its various investments in travel agency networks, including American Express Global Business Travel/Egencia, Havas Voyages, Selectour, and the Lyon-based Marietton group. It could soon take control of the tour operator Voyageurs du Monde.
" The potential of this partnership exceeds our expectations. We have seen extraordinary interest from investors of all types wishing to gain exposure to the European high-speed rail market and eager to take part alongside us in the development of the sector. This is a validation of the investment opportunity before us: combining the operational excellence of the FS group with our global travel distribution assets to build a world-class international high-speed rail platform », as Greg O’Hara, Senior Managing Director of Certares, put it. On the distribution side, Trenitalia France could also benefit from the 1er January 2030 the opening of access to SNCF Connect to all new rail operators if this bill is definitively adopted.
