Passengers in Italy will be able to use the new fast train service starting September next year, announced the company Nuovo Transporto Viaggiatori (NTV).
The company will have a fleet of 25 trains, each with 11 carriages, capable of reaching speeds of up to 360 kilometers per hour, said NTV’s CEO Luca di Montezemolo, who is also the head of the sports car manufacturer Ferrari. The fast trains, model AHV, named "Italo," were purchased from the French company Alstom and are being manufactured at facilities in La Rochelle, France, and Savigliano, Italy.
"NTV will be the first in the world to use such a model of train that ensures exceptional results in terms of speed, comfort, environmental impact, and safety," Montezemolo said at a press conference in Rome. NTV will operate on the existing high-speed lines of the state railway company Trenitalia, connecting seven cities: Turin, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples, Salerno, Venice, and Padua.
The travel times will be approximately the same as with Trenitalia, with the journey from Rome to Milan taking less than three hours, from Milan to Turin 50 minutes, from Bologna to Florence 37 minutes, and from Rome to Naples one hour. According to Montezemolo, NTV plans to enhance its transportation services with amenities such as Wi-Fi Internet and satellite television. The project is worth one billion euros, and NTV has invested 90 million euros in a service center in Nola near Naples. (H)
