Rail industry in Italy – statistics & facts
With over 16,800 kilometers of railway lines in use as of 2021 and an annual number of rail passengers of over 800 million before the COVID-19 pandemic, Italy’s rail network plays a substantial role the domestic transport system. Large parts of the Italian rail network are electrified and the country operates an extensive high-speed railway network of over 921 kilometers as of 2021. This makes Italy home to the fourth-largest high-speed rail network in Europe after Spain, France, and Germany. The country can also claim a spot on the list of the top ten fastest trains worldwide. Italy’s Frecciarossa 1000, operated by Trenitalia, just about makes it onto the list in tenth place and can reach speeds of up to 400 kilometers per hour. In recent years, high-speed rail has made up between a fifth and a quarter of passenger rail traffic in Italy.
