Italian railway news – Page 4
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Metro Report InternationalBrescia tram plan gathers pace
ITALY: As part of plans to build two light rail lines to augment the city’s automated metro, Brescia municipality has called tenders for the design and construction of tram Line T2, including the supply of rolling stock. The city has also commissioned operator Brescia Mobilità to ...
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Metro Report InternationalBattery trams to avoid overhead wires in historic Firenze
ITALY: Hitachi Rail has been awarded a contract to supply 46 trams equipped with batteries to avoid the need for overhead wires in the historic city of Firenze. The order announced on July 30 includes the supply of digital signalling, and operator GEST has also awarded ...
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Metro Report InternationalArt and architecture mark Napoli metro Line 6’s return
ITALY: Napoli metro Line 6 reopened on July 17, 11 years after services were suspended. The original 2·3 km line west from Mergellina to Mostra has been extended in tunnel 3·1 km towards the city centre at Municipio, where there is interchange with Line 1. The ...
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In depthInterview: Arenaways rides again
More than a decade after an abortive attempt to enter the Italian inter-city passenger market, private operator Arenaways is back, with approval to launch seven open access services and PSO contracts to revive operations on two local railways in Piemonte. Chief Executive Matteo Arena explains the company’s renaissance to Benjámin Zelki.
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Metro Report InternationalCAF sole bidder to supply Bologna trams
ITALY: CAF is the sole bidder for the tram tender in Bologna, the city council announced on June 25. The municipality is currently evaluating the offer and it still hopes to sign a contract by the end of the summer. Bologna municipality has called tenders worth ...
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NewsMercitalia Rail orders 70 locomotives
ITALY: National railway FS Group’s freight business Mercitalia Rail has awarded Alstom a contract to supply 70 Traxx Universal electric locomotives, including some with last mile capabilities, and to provide 12 years of full maintenance. The contract is worth more than €323m, with deliveries from Alstom’s ...
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NewsBologna launches cross-city suburban service
ITALY: Regional operator Trenitalia Tper has introduced cross-city suburban services in the Bologna area with effect from June 9. Route SFM1 linking Porretta in the southwest with Pianoro to the southeast has been established by the extension of the existing Porretta – Bologna Centrale service to ...
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NewsSNCF Voyageurs plans to launch open access high speed train services in Italy
ITALY: French national passenger operator SNCF Voyageurs has announced plans to launch open access high speed train services within Italy from 2026, with the target of obtaining a 15% market share by 2030. SNCF Voyageurs Italia has applied to infrastructure manager RFI for access rights for ...
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NewsArenaways selects Fairtiq ticketing platform
ITALY: Arenaways is to use Fairtiq’s mobile pay-as-you-go ticketing system on the Cuneo – Savigliano and Ceva – Ormea routes which it is to operate from January 2025 under a 10-year PSO contract awarded by the Piemonte region. Swiss company Fairtiq said this would be its ...
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Metro Report InternationalHitachi Rail delivers next-generation metro trainset to Genova
ITALY: Hitachi Rail has delivered the first of 14 latest generation metro trainsets to Genova, the municipality reported on May 31. The vehicles are to be used to expand the capacity of the city’s automated light metro line, which is currently being extended at both ends. ...
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NewsItaly allocates funding for hydrogen trains
ITALY: Funding for the purchase of hydrogen and hydrogen-electric regional trainsets has been announced by the Ministry of Infrastructure & Transport. ‘We confirm our determination to modernise the country, with choices that respect the environment’, said Minister of Transport Matteo Salvini when the allocations were announced ...
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NewsInvestor sees ‘genuine growth potential’ as DB completes sale of Arriva
EUROPE: The sale of Deutsche Bahn’s non-German public transport business Arriva to I Squared Capital has been completed, the companies announced on June 3. DB said it would now focus on rail transport within Germany, while I Squared said it sees opportunities to invest in decarbonisation. ...
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NewsArenaways to revive passenger trains on two routes in northern Italy
ITALY: Italian private operator Arenaways has been awarded a public service obligation contract to run passenger services on two lines in the Piemonte region which were closed for passenger traffic in 2012, CEO of Arenaways Matteo Arena told Railway Gazette International on May 21. On March ...
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NewsCargoBeamer secures investment to get semi-trailers onto rail
EUROPE: CargoBeamer has received public and private sector funding commitments of €140m to support expansion of its network of facilities for transporting semi-trailers by rail. Privately owned CargoBeamer is aiming to develop a network of 18 terminals and 50 routes over next 10 years, building on ...
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NewsTrain ferry shunting locos supplied
ITALY: Vossloh Rolling Stock has supplied FS Group’s Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal subsidiary with five DE18 diesel locomotives for shunting trains onto Strait of Messina train ferries and three for hauling maintenance trains around Napoli and Torino. The locomotives have been purchased ...
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Metro Report InternationalToscana trams and buses go contactless
ITALY: Kuba has rolled out an open-loop fare payment system covering the Firenze tramway and bus services in Toscana, saying it is the largest deployment of its kind in Europe covering 273 cities and towns. The system which went live on March 28 is an extension ...
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Metro Report InternationalAsian tourists expected to benefit as Roma expands contactless fare payment options
ITALY: Contactless cards issued by Japan’s JCB and China’s UnionPay and linked mobile devices can now be used to pay for travel on Roma’s transport network, building on the open loop payment system which was already available to holders of Mastercard, Visa and American Express cards. ...
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Metro Report InternationalTorino driverless metro train production underway
ITALY: Representatives from the city of Torino’s infrastructure manager Infra.To have visited the Alstom factory at Valenciennes in France to see the production of the first two cars of four four-car Metropolis trainsets on order. Infra.To awarded Alstom a €156m turnkey contract ...
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NewsNext-generation Railjets enter service to link three countries
EUROPE: Austrian Federal Railways has put into service the first of its updated Railjet trainsets on services linking Germany, Austria and Italy. Toma Bačić rode on a preview run between München and Verona on April 5.
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Metro Report InternationalBologna issues tram tender to support emerging network
ITALY: Bologna municipality has called tenders worth €246m for a framework contract covering the supply of up to 60 trams. They are intended for use on the Red Line, which is under construction, and the Green Line, for which civil works contracts are now in place. ...













