EUROPE: Trenitalia announced on March 18 that it had reached agreement with SNCF Réseau to lease a site for a depot in Paris which would serve as the base for rolling stock used on routes in France and trains to and from London.
FS Group said its Trenitalia France passenger operating subsidiary had agreed a 35-year lease for the facility in Maisons-Alfort Pompadour. Located near Créteil in the rail corridor running south from Paris Lyon station, the site is to be developed into a hub for the maintenance of high speed rolling stock.
The Italian state railway holding said the deal represents €80m in investment, and would create up to 100 direct and indirect jobs. The depot is planned to open by the end of 2029, and will allow Trenitalia France to strengthen the operational management of its fleet, improve the efficiency of maintenance activities and support the development of its rail offering in the French market. The maintenance complex will also support future Frecciarossa-branded high speed services between Paris and London via the Channel Tunnel.
The depot will be designed for continuous 24 h operations. It will include three tracks equipped for the simultaneous maintenance of three trains, as well as dedicated facilities for washing, cleaning and stabling. Once fully operational, the facility will be designed to accommodate up to 25 trainsets.
‘With this investment, we are strengthening the FS Group’s industrial presence in France and supporting the development of European rail mobility’, said Stefano Donnarumma, CEO and Managing Director of the Italian national operator. ‘The new maintenance centre represents a strategic infrastructure to support the growth of Trenitalia’s operations in the country and to support future high speed connections between Paris and London, helping to make trains an increasingly important part of sustainable mobility in Europe.’
