ITALIAN State Railways is undergoing another phase of reorganisation, the ultimate aim being to introduce a measure of separation between operations and infrastructure to satisfy the requirements of European Union directive 91/440. The process sees an organisation known until now as TAV2 becoming the specialist operator of high speed and inter-city passenger services. To be known formally as Italiana Trasporti Ferroviaria, this organisation is potentially profitable. ITF will buy paths from the infrastructure division, Asa Rete, which is now headed by former traction and rolling stock chief Dr Mauro Moretti. His replacement at the rolling stock department is Antonio Laganà.
Last month the FS board of management approved plans to purchase the 57% of the capital of its TAV high speed subsidiary that had previously been held by more than 20 finance houses and insurance companies. TAV will continue to have responsibility for building new high speed lines, although day-to-day management of the network will be handled by Asa Rete. Still to be decided is the future of local and regional passenger services which require considerable amounts of government grant. o
