European Rail Travel - Italo - the new private train company in Italy

Beginning february/march 2012, Italo, the new service by the private rail company NTV (Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori), owned amongst others by Luca di Montezemolo (Ferrari) and Diego della Valle, will be operative.

For infos check out here (http://www.italotreno.it/IT/Pagine/default.aspx).

Finally tourists to Italy and of course Italians will have a choice!

Beginning february/march 2012, Italo, the new service by the private rail company NTV (Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori), owned amongst others by Luca di Montezemolo (Ferrari) and Diego della Valle, will be operative.

For infos check out here (http://www.italotreno.it/IT/Pagine/default.aspx).


1 19-seat club car includes 2 4-seat 'compartments' :cool:

thanks for posting ^

This is a welcome development. Private long-distance train companies have also recently started up in Austria and the Czech Republic, and a German company has been just about to start for a while now.

semi-related, i find it interesting that only one rail company offers charter cars directly > http://www.greatsouthernrail.com.au/

edit - thanks all ^ wow >


Austria:
Westbahn (http://www.westbahn.at) runs Vienna to the Salzburg (and its German suburbs). The SNCF is a share-holder. Also the first major Austrian domestic private inter-city bus operator "Westbus." Started 12/2011.

Czech Republic:
RegioJet (http://www.regiojet.cz/) as mentioned. Poorly named since they have private long distance service Prague - Ostrava - Havířov - Žilina, Slovakia as well as winning the first regional franchises in the Czech and Slovak Republics. Intercity trains started 2011.

Germany:
InterConnex (http://www.interconnex.com/) runs Leipzig-Berlin-Rostock. By Veolia. Started 2002.
Harz-Berlin-Express (http://www.harz-berlin-express.de/) is among a few small services from the Eastern Provinces into Berlin. By Veolia. Started 2005.
Vogtland Express (http://www.vogtlandbahn.de/de/vogtland_express/) is among a few small services from the Eastern Provinces into Berlin. By Trenitalia Group. Started 2005.
Hambürg-Köln_Express (http://www.hkx-online.de/) runs Hamburg-Cologne. Starts 9/2012.
Alex (http://www.alex.info) runs Lindau - Munich - Prague / Hof and Nuremberg - Prague. Was run by Arriva/CD[Czech Railways] but the Arriva par was spun off to Trenitalia group with the DB takeover of Arriva. CD run the Czech portion as they would any other train. Started 2009?
Berlin Night Express (http://www.berlin-night-express.com/) as mentioned, runs Berlin - Malmö by ferry. SJ[Swedish Railways] operate the Swedish portion, the German part is private.

Italy:
ÖBB Italia (http://www.obb-italia.com/) in cooperation with DB and local opeator LeNord. Competes with Trenitalia on the cooridor through the Brenner Pass (Tyrol), Verona and Milan. Started 2010?
Thello (https://www.thello.com/) took over the Venice-Milan-Paris night train. Run by Veolia/Trenitalia. Started 12/2011.
Italo (http://www.italotreno.it/) as mentioned. Starts early 2012.

Sweden:
Veolia (http://www.veolia-transport.se/) Malmö - Stockholm as mentioned.
Blataget (http://www.blataget.com/) Malmö - Gothenburg as mentioned.
DSB First (http://www.dsbfirst.dk/) Malmö - Gothenburg - Copenhagen, was run under a rare intercity francise by Danish Railways and First (the UK coach operator). Though, I believe, First was recently kicked out of this group, so it's no longer really private.

Plus of course Thalys, Eurostar, etc. As well as some night trains, CityNightLine? And of course tourist and luxary trains.

In Sweden, Veolia transport has had a service between Malmö and Stockholm for a few years now. Blå tåget recently started between Gothenburg and Stockholm. Veolia is also taking over the night trains between Malmö and Berlin via the Trelleborg-Sassnitz ferry.

http://www.veolia-transport.se
http://www.blataget.com/

any names/links?

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The Austrian company is Westbahn, and the Czech one is RegioJet; I've forgotten the name of the German one (they bought up old Austrian cars and had them refurbished for the Hamburg-Cologne route, but the service has yet to start). These private companies have picket out the most lucrative routes, of course (Vienna-Salzburg, Prague-Ostrava-Havirov).

There are quite a few private inter-city long distance services springing up. These are run in competition to the existing trains, so they're different than the private regional operators which now commonly compete for government franchises.

Some services are completely private, though many have a consortium that includes national rail providers from other countries (which in theory will someday be privatized).

Austria:
Westbahn (http://www.westbahn.at) runs Vienna to the Salzburg (and its German suburbs). The SNCF is a share-holder. Also the first major Austrian domestic private inter-city bus operator "Westbus." Started 12/2011.

Czech Republic:
RegioJet (http://www.regiojet.cz/) as mentioned. Poorly named since they have private long distance service Prague - Ostrava - Havířov - Žilina, Slovakia as well as winning the first regional franchises in the Czech and Slovak Republics. Intercity trains started 2011.

Germany:
InterConnex (http://www.interconnex.com/) runs Leipzig-Berlin-Rostock. By Veolia. Started 2002.
Harz-Berlin-Express (http://www.harz-berlin-express.de/) is among a few small services from the Eastern Provinces into Berlin. By Veolia. Started 2005.
Vogtland Express (http://www.vogtlandbahn.de/de/vogtland_express/) is among a few small services from the Eastern Provinces into Berlin. By Trenitalia Group. Started 2005.
Hambürg-Köln_Express (http://www.hkx-online.de/) runs Hamburg-Cologne. Starts 9/2012.
Alex (http://www.alex.info) runs Lindau - Munich - Prague / Hof and Nuremberg - Prague. Was run by Arriva/CD[Czech Railways] but the Arriva par was spun off to Trenitalia group with the DB takeover of Arriva. CD run the Czech portion as they would any other train. Started 2009?
Berlin Night Express (http://www.berlin-night-express.com/) as mentioned, runs Berlin - Malmö by ferry. SJ[Swedish Railways] operate the Swedish portion, the German part is private.

Italy:
ÖBB Italia (http://www.obb-italia.com/) in cooperation with DB and local opeator LeNord. Competes with Trenitalia on the cooridor through the Brenner Pass (Tyrol), Verona and Milan. Started 2010?
Thello (https://www.thello.com/) took over the Venice-Milan-Paris night train. Run by Veolia/Trenitalia. Started 12/2011.
Italo (http://www.italotreno.it/) as mentioned. Starts early 2012.

Sweden:
Veolia (http://www.veolia-transport.se/) Malmö - Stockholm as mentioned.
Blataget (http://www.blataget.com/) Malmö - Gothenburg as mentioned.
DSB First (http://www.dsbfirst.dk/) Malmö - Gothenburg - Copenhagen, was run under a rare intercity francise by Danish Railways and First (the UK coach operator). Though, I believe, First was recently kicked out of this group, so it's no longer really private.


Plus of course Thalys, Eurostar, etc. As well as some night trains, CityNightLine? And of course tourist and luxary trains.

I'm really curious to see when a private operator breaks into the French market, since walk-up fares are very high. The first domestic coach service just started this fall.

Germany:
Berlin Night Express (http://www.berlin-night-express.com/) as mentioned, runs Berlin - Malmö by ferry. SJ[Swedish Railways] operate the Swedish portion, the German part is private.


As I mentioned, SJ has lost interest in this route and Veolia are taking over the Swedish part.


Sweden:
DSB First (http://www.dsbfirst.dk/) Malmö - Gothenburg - Copenhagen, was run under a rare intercity francise by Danish Railways and First (the UK coach operator). Though, I believe, First was recently kicked out of this group, so it's no longer really private.


Veolia took over the Swedish part a couple of weeks ago. The Danish part will be run as DSB Øresund (without First). This comes after a major political scandal in Denmark over illegal state aid via DSB to DSBFirst.

But the Øresund trains really fall into the category of government-tendered lines that there must be hundreds of examples of around Europe. In fact, in Sweden NO traffic of this kind is run by SJ anymore, as SJ has made the business decision not to bid on it.

As I mentioned, SJ has lost interest in this route and Veolia are taking over the Swedish part.



Veolia took over the Swedish part a couple of weeks ago. The Danish part will be run as DSB Øresund (without First). This comes after a major political scandal in Denmark over illegal state aid via DSB to DSBFirst.

But the Øresund trains really fall into the category of government-tendered lines that there must be hundreds of examples of around Europe. In fact, in Sweden NO traffic of this kind is run by SJ anymore, as SJ has made the business decision not to bid on it.


Interesting that Veolia is so active in Sweden.

I noted that Øresund trains were a franchise / tender. They seem more like intercity trains than regional trains, which makes the fact that they're tendered out rather unique. I guess, though, they could be classified somewhere between regional and intercity trains, in which case the francise is, like you say, really nothing special.