High-speed rail in Italy

High-speed rail in Italy consists of two lines connecting most of the country's major cities. The first line connects Turin to Salerno via Milan, Bologna, Florence, Rome and Naples, the second runs from Turin to Venice via Milan, and is under construction in parts. Trains are operated with a top speed of 300 km/h (190 mph).

25 million passengers traveled on the network in 2011. Passenger service is provided by Trenitalia and, since April 2012, by NTV-Italo, the world's first private open-access operator of high-speed rail to compete with a state-owned monopoly.

The first high-speed rail route in Italy, the Direttissima, opened in 1977, connecting Rome with Florence. The top speed on the line was 250 km/h (160 mph), giving an end-to-end journey time of about 90 minutes with an average speed of 200 km/h (120 mph). This line used a 3 kV DC supply.

High-speed service was introduced on the Rome-Milan line in 1988-89 with the ETR 450 Pendolino train, with a top speed of 250 km/h and cutting travel times from about 5 hours to 4. The prototype train ETR X 500 was the first Italian train to reach 300 km/h (190 mph) on the Direttissima on 25 May 1989.

The Italian high-speed rail projects suffered relevant extra-costs and delay. Corruption and un-ethical behaviour played a key role.

Service on the high speed lines is provided by Trenitalia and privately owned NTV. Several types of high-speed trains carry out the service:

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