The Italian railways win in Spain. The Spanish railway infrastructure manager has in fact selected the consortium ILSA, formed by Trenitalia e Air Nostrum, as the first foreign operator to enter the rich Hispanic high-speed market. The start of the service is scheduled for January 2022with a term of ten years. They will offer 32 connections daily, thanks to the presence of 23 trains.
The Italian group will cover five routes: Madrid-Barcelona, Madrid-Valencia/Alicante and Madrid-Malaga/Seville. Eight connections are planned for the Madrid-Valencia route, seven instead for the Madrid-Malaga and Madrid-Seville routes. Finally, only four for the Madrid-Alicante route, with possible increases for the summer season.
The train chosen by Trenitalia is the Frecciarossa 1000, designed to travel on all European AV networks. The fastest and most modern train of the group, able to reach a maximum speed of 400km / h, thanks to the 16 engines distributed on the eight carriages, which allow to improve the'traction on the tracks. Furthermore, it is the first HS train in the world to be awarded the environmental impact certification.
As announced by Gianfranco Battisti, managing director and general manager of FS Italiane, “this project marks the entry of the FS Group into the Iberian high-speed railway market. We are proud to make available in Spain the know-how developed in 10 years of high speed with 350 million passengers transported in Italy, unique in Europe in a competitive market".
Trenitalia is present with subsidiaries also in Great Britain, France, Germany, Greece. And as reported by Battisti, they are ready to face further challenges, especially in the American market, after being awarded the railway services between London and Edinburgh, but also the high-speed project in Thailand.
