Leather seats on Italo, Tod's and Ferrari's luxury train

With a running hare as a logo, Italo, the first private high-speed train in Italy, was unveiled on December 13 at Nola, near Naples, by NTV.
The Italian private railway company wants to challenge Trenitalia, the national company by the beginning of 2012.

Italo, however, still needs an approval, which should happen "soon," said Giuseppe Sciarrone, managing director of NTV. The train could be on tracks next March 2012 and links seven cities in Italy : Turin, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples, and Salerno.
NTV was founded by a group of Italian entrepreneurs amongst which, Luca di Montezemolo, Ferrari CEO, and Diego della Valle, the owner of Tod's luxury leather goods. The French national railway company SNCF owns 20% stake.


Wi-fi and "tight price"

With a slim design, a burgundy red colour, panoramic windows, cars larger than a conventional TGV, and leather seats, Italo proposes three levels of comfort (smart, and prima club). Wi-fi on board is free.
But due to competition, ticket prices "will necessarily be tight", says Luca di Montezemolo.
While club class travellers will have individual screens and access to satellite TV, smart class passengers will have a cinema car.

French manufacturer Alstom will supply 25 high-speed train AGV to NTV, an investment of 1.5 billion euros including 30 years of maintenance. Traveling at a speed of 224mph, power consumption is 10% lower than other TGV and 95% of its equipment is recyclable, describes Patrick Kron, Alstom CEO.
Italo will be produced on Alstom plant near La Rochelle and in Savigliano near Cuneo (northwest Italy).


SNCF prepares competition

The French public railway company SNCF owns 20% of NTV's capital. For Guillaume Pepy, CEO, Italo is part of SNCF group's strategy : "getting ready for competition" by investing in private companies as it did in Austria, Great Britain or Germany. "There is a huge appetite for new companies" on domestic rail, he said.

On Dec. 11, 2011, the first private train, Thello (a joint venture between the French Veolia Transdev and Trenitalia), left Paris to Venice, signalling the end of SNCF monopoly in France since the introduction of competition for passenger lines in 2009 (read).

with Afp