Spanish public operator Renfe is working on its arrival in Italy. The company has plans to operate two regional lines in the Piedmont region, connecting the cities of Cuneo, Saluzzo, Savigliano, Ceva and Ormea as revealed by the Spanish newspaper Expansión.
Renfe’s president, Raül Blanco, has been advancing his plans for growth abroad for several months. In addition to France, the UK, central Europe and Portugal, Italy is a key market in his strategy, despite being dominated by Trenitalia, Renfe’s main rival in Spain (it is the majority shareholder in iryo).
However, at least for the moment, it rules out competing in open-access services. Instead, it is betting on regional trains in consortium with Longitude, an Italian company managed by the Arena family, to operate these two lines together. Specifically, the plan is to recover the Ceva-Ormea and Savigliano-Saluzzo-Cuneo trains that Trenitalia stopped operating in 2012.
According to information obtained by Expansión, Renfe and its partner plan to resume the service with between 10 and 20 runs a day from 2025, depending on the route and the time of year. To launch the project, the promoters are applying for an annual subsidy of around 3.5 million euros from the Piedmont Regional Council.
This is not the only initiative Renfe wants to develop on Italian soil. In addition to increasing frequencies and creating additional services such as tourist trains, Renfe is proposing to reopen other lines such as Santhià-Arona, Novara-Varallo Sesia and Alessandria-Ovada.
Renfe, which declined to comment on this operation, sees European regional transport as an opportunity to expand its presence abroad, thanks to the experience gained in Spain. The state-owned company operates under a monopoly regime the commuter, Cercanías and Media Distancia traffic in Spain, financed through a contract programme until 2027 worth 10 billion euros.
Renfe’s entry into Italy is not assured, as Trenitalia has reacted to Longitude’s proposal by applying to the Piedmont Regional Administrative Court for a precautionary suspension of the Arenaways project. However, a few days ago, the court rejected Trenitalia’s appeal. In parallel, Trenitalia has submitted a proposal to reactivate the two lines, and the Piedmont Region has also received a proposal from the local company GTE (Grandi Treno Espressi).
