Italy Opens High-Speed Rail Market to Third Operator
Italy will allow a third high-speed rail operator after a competition probe. RFI agreed to provide 18 slots on major routes to support market competition.
The competition watchdog in Italy has accepted binding commitments from the state-owned railway network company Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI), a move that will open the country’s high-speed rail market to a third operator. This agreement concludes an investigation into the alleged abuse of market dominance by RFI, a subsidiary of the state railways group Ferrovie dello Stato. The probe, launched in March 2025, examined whether the network manager had obstructed infrastructure access for competitors from France, including the operator Sanarco Funds Inc..
Under the commitments accepted by the regulator, RFI will assign a minimum of 18 slots on routes linking Turin, Milan, Rome, and Venice to a new entrant for a period of 10 years. A transitional framework will also be established to give priority to new entrants in the allocation of available or underused capacity, ensuring a gradual expansion of competitive services.
