FS Group (Gruppo Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane), the Italian company behind national carrier Trenitalia, which also owns UK operator C2C and has a 30 per cent stake in Avanti West Coast, has launched a new company – FS Treni Turistici Italiani – to run range of rail services specifically designed for tourists who want to use the railway to discover the riches of Italy’s cities and countryside.
The new company will have three distinct levels of service:
‘Luxury’ – featuring prestigious, high-end trains such as the Orient Express La Dolce Vita, a luxury Italian train that will début in 2024, or the legendary Venice Simplon Orient Express by Belmond, already operating on European routes.
‘Express and Historical Trains’ – new services using 1980s and 1990s carriages that will undergo complete upgrading and modernisation in the Rimini railway workshops. Solely for tourist use, these trains will offer new connections, including night trains, on medium to long-haul routes between the main Italian cities and significant tourist destinations.
‘Regional Omnibus’ – services that will use regular regional trains on weekends, at favourable fares and accessible to all, along lines that cross territories rich in history. The timetable will be designed to provide tourist access to villages and areas of scenic beauty as well as regions distinguished by unique wine and food traditions.
The new operator FS Treni Turistici Italiani was introduced to stakeholders who arrived in a special historic train, similar to the ones that will form the new fleet, by FS chief executive officer Luigi Ferraris at the Museo Nazionale Ferroviario di Pietrarsa, the National Railway Museum in Naples.
Launching the new operation, Luigi Ferraris said: “Today is a very important day for us as FS Treni Turistici Italiani is officially born, the FS Group company that will deal with tourist railway services.
“With the new company, we want to propose a slow tourism, to bring people to less frequented places in Italy, but equally beautiful and rich in history and culture, thanks to a more structured and dedicated offer through three types of services: Luxury (for example the “Orient Express – la Dolce Vita” train), Express and Historical Trains, and Omnibus-Regional.
“In an era where speed is the key element, with ‘FS Treni Turistici Italiani’ we will bring customers and families to discover Italy slowly, with the right time to observe and appreciate the beauties of our country.”
He was joined by new FS Treni Turistici Italiani CEO Luigi Cantamessa, who has worked for the FS Group since 2002 and has been general manager of the Fondazione FS Italiane since 2013.
Besides responding to the growing demand for rail tourism in Italy, FS Treni Turistici Italiani will help to promote a new, truly sustainable style of tourism while reaching both well-known destinations and those off the classic routes.
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