More than 2 million passengers chose to travel on Trenitalia’s Intercity Notte night trains in 2023, an increase of 25 per cent. These are the latest statistics from the public group.

Amid all the current excitement about night trains, it’s worth remembering that Trenitalia has never abandoned them, and has maintained domestic nocturnal services such as Milan-Palermo/Syracuse, Turin-Lecce and Rome-Venice-Trieste. Over the past decades, many European operators reduced or completely stopped night train services, though in recent years they have made a comeback.

Growing demand

There are 28 Trenitalia night services that allow to travel throughout Italy and Europe. One of the country’s most popular mountain destinations is San Candido, in Trentino-Alto Adige, accessible at weekends by Intercity night from Rome. Those who choose the south, however, head mainly for Lecce, Reggio Calabria, Palermo and Syracuse, departing from Turin, Rome and Milan. All Trenitalia night trains offer 4 classes of comfort: classic seats, couchettes, sleeper cabins with washbasins and 1 to 3 beds, and Excelsior cabins with 1 or 2 beds, a shower and a private toilet.

“Night trains are a strategic way of redefining the concept of mobility with a view to sustainability, intermodality and competitiveness. Demand for night travel is growing, and the new winter routes offered by Trenitalia and the Passenger Hub are meeting passengers’ needs”, said Luigi Corradi, CEO of Trenitalia.

Austrian trains

Austrian operator ÖBB currently has two services to Italy. One from Livorno via Genoa and Milan, and one from Rome and Florence. Each train provides direct connections to Munich and Vienna. ÖBB currently has the most extensive network of night trains in Europe.

Trenitalia seems to have been convinced by ÖBB’s successful experience. The public group intends to improve the Intercity Notte service in the coming years. The country’s geographical shape lends itself well to long-distance trains.

New rolling stock

The development of this segment is also supported by Trenitalia’s investment plan which, is partly supported by funds of Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan after the pandemic (PNRR). The operator is renewing 70 night carriages for trains to and from Sicily, which will enter service by 2026.

In August 2023, Trenitalia signed a framework contract with a consortium made up of Škoda Transportation and Titagarh Firema SpA (TFA) for the supply of up to 370 carriages for the Intercity Notte night trains. The total value of the contract is estimated at up to 732.5 million euros. The project is partly co-financed by the PNRR.

“Škoda has a long tradition of over 160 years,” said Olesea Lachi, the Managing Director of Škoda Transportation Italia. “Our challenge has always been technological development and we have always had the great ambition of entering the Italian market. To do so, we chose a sector where, until now, there had been no investment: that of Intercity, which arouses great interest in other countries as well. There is the option of homologation in 8 other European countries.”

There will be three types of coaches: 44 will be couchette-cars, 22 sleeping cars and 4 cars will be equipped with seats. The 70 coaches, intended for Intercity Night services to and from Sicily, will be put into service by 30 June 2026. Trenitalia has not yet said whether it has any plans to expand night trains outside Italy.

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