MILAN, March 6 (Reuters) - Italy’s competition watchdog said on Friday it had accepted binding commitments from state-owned railway network company Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) that would open the
Italy high‑speed rail market to open to third player, regulator says
Italy’s Competition Watchdog Accepts Commitments to Open Rail Market
MILAN, March 6 (Reuters) - Italy’s competition watchdog said on Friday it had accepted binding commitments from state-owned railway network company Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) that would open the country's high-speed rail market to a third operator, thus ending an investigation into alleged abuse of dominance.
Background of the Investigation
- The probe, launched in March 2025, examined whether RFI, a unit of state railways group Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), delayed, and in some cases obstructed, access to the national rail infrastructure, potentially hindering market access for France's SNCF.
Commitments and Market Access
- Under the commitments accepted by the Italian Competition Authority, RFI will assign the new entrant a minimum package of 18 slots on routes linking Turin, Milan, Rome and Venice, for 10 years.
- A transitional framework will also give priority to any new entrants in the allocation of available or underused capacity to support a gradual expansion of services.
Reaction from SNCF Voyages Italia
- SNCF Voyages Italia, which had initially appealed to the authority, welcomed Friday's ruling but said it was not enough to allow it to proceed in full with plans to enter the Italian market in September 2027.
Additional Demands by SNCF
- In particular, it called for additional commitments from the rail network operator on capacity allocation, and more certainty on access to maintenance facilities and train certification procedures.
Current Market Players and Operations
- Italy's high-speed rail market is currently served by state-owned Trenitalia and private operator Italo, in which Swiss-based maritime group MSC and U.S. infrastructure investment fund GIP are leading investors.
- French railway operator SNCF and its TGV high-speed trains have operated on the Milan-Paris route since 2011.
(Reporting by Claudia Cristoferi, additional reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro, editing by Alvise Armellini)
