Italian Bullet Trains Open to Private Competitor

Gaia Pianigiani discusses the recent opening of a new, luxury high-speed rail line in Italy – Europe's first private competitor to domestic, state-run HSR.

1 minute read

May 2, 2012, 10:00 AM PDT

By Ryan Lue


A new contender on the high-speed rail scene made its maiden voyages Saturday, as Italian travelers boarded the plum-red cars of Italo for 186-mile-an-hour jaunts between Milan and Naples.

Operated by Nuovo Transporto Viaggiatori, Italo caters to the luxury market, offering "free Wi-Fi, satellite television, a 39-seat cinema carriage, leather seats manufactured by the luxury furniture maker Poltrona Frau, and assistance and welcome points in the main stations designed by the team of the Italian architect Stefano Boeri," Pianigiani writes.

"We have brought an end to one of the longest monopolies in the history of our country," said Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, president of NTV. "Finally, Italian travelers and tourists can choose."

While Italians are riding high-speed rail much more now than just three years ago, the company still faces important challenges. "The risk NTV is taking is certainly very high, amplified by Italy's current economic crisis and the improvement of the Italian infrastructure that is still lagging behind," said Oliviero Baccelli of the Center for Research on Regional Economics, Transport and Tourism at Bocconi University. "But high-speed in Italy has very, very significant development margins."

Saturday, April 28, 2012 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Aerial view of downtown San Antonio, Texas at night with rotating Tower of the Americas in foreground.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion

The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.

July 3, 2025 - Governing

White park shuttles with large Zion logo on side and red rock cliffs in background in Zion National Park.

Since Zion's Shuttles Went Electric “The Smog is Gone”

Visitors to Zion National Park can enjoy the canyon via the nation’s first fully electric park shuttle system.

3 hours ago - Reasons to Be Cheerful

Chart of federal transportation funding comparing Biden and Trump administration spending.

Trump Distributing DOT Safety Funds at 1/10 Rate of Biden

Funds for Safe Streets and other transportation safety and equity programs are being held up by administrative reviews and conflicts with the Trump administration’s priorities.

4 hours ago - Transportation for America

Close-up on yellow and black TAXI sign on top of beige car in central Munich, Germany.

German Cities Subsidize Taxis for Women Amid Wave of Violence

Free or low-cost taxi rides can help women navigate cities more safely, but critics say the programs don't address the root causes of violence against women.

5 hours ago - Bloomberg