FRANCE: Trenitalia formally inaugurated its Paris – Milano open access high speed service on December 18, with a morning departure from the French capital.
Operated by Frecciarossa 1000 trainsets, the two trains per day in each direction connect Paris-Lyon and Milano Centrale with intermediate stops at Lyon Part-Dieu, Chambéry-Challes-les-Eaux and Modane in France and Torino Porta Susa in Italy.
The Italian state-owned operator is offering three classes on the trains: Standard, Business and Executive; there are quiet coaches available in both Standard and Business. The Executive car includes meeting room compartment for up to five people. Free wi-fi is available for all passengers via the ‘Portal Frecce’, and onboard catering is also provided.
As with its rival SNCF Voyages, Trenitalia has adopted yield management for its fares. Advance purchase fares for a Paris – Lyon trip start from €23 in Standard, €29 in Business and €139 in Executive. The minimum price for a Standard ticket purchased onboard is €109. The meeting room fare depends on the number of travellers, starting from €79 each for a group of five.
To operate the services, Trenitalia has modified five of its ETR 400 trainsets supplied by Bombardier and Hitachi Rail; these have been fitted with the TVM 300 train control system used on French high speed lines as well as the KVB train protection system used on conventional network. They have been authorised to operate at up to 300 km/h on LGV Paris-Sud-Est and 200 km/h on conventional lines.
As well as the twice-daily international services, Trenitalia is looking to launch three additional domestic trains each way between Paris and Lyon; these are expected to start in early 2022.
