Trenitalia to compete with French railway company SNCF.

Italy's Trenitalia launched a high-speed Frecciarossa train service between Milan and Paris on 18 December, offering a journey time of between six and seven hours.

The new connection will depart from Milano Centrale and arrive in Paris Gare de Lyon, passing through Turin, Lyon Part-Dieu, Chambéry and Modane.

Initially there will be two daily round trips, however the service could expand, with a total of five Frecciarossa 1000s authorised to travel across the Alps.

Trenitalia will become the first foreign company to operate in the French high-speed market, entering into direct competition with the National Railway Company (SNCF).

• Milan to Paris by train in just six hours

The move comes after recent EU legislation removed barriers to a single European rail area, harmonising regulations among national passenger-rail systems.

"A legend of Made in Italy is about to arrive in France, and we are working to make what seemed like a dream come true" -  the CEO of Trenitalia Luigi Corradi told French media - "The trip in Italy will be at high speed, then we will connect to the French TGV line".

Trenitalia has promoted the debut of the train "with four classes for all tastes and all comforts".

Da oggi il Frecciarossa sbarca in Francia sulla linea Parigi-Lione-Milano. Una tappa storica nell’evoluzione del mercato ferroviario europeo per offrire una nuova esperienza di viaggio #madeinitaly e #sostenibile
Segui in diretta su https://t.co/8ShrX17Lrihttps://t.co/gBSul34s4J pic.twitter.com/oF5LPquNky

— Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (@fsitaliane) December 18, 2021

Photo credit: Zigres / Shutterstock.com.