Treno Alta Velocità

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Treno Alta Velocità SpA is special purpose entity owned by RFI (itself owned by Ferrovie dello Stato) for the planning and construction of a high-speed network in Italy.

[edit] Purpose

The purpose of TAV construction is to aid travel along Italy's most saturated and used rail lines and to add tracks to these lines. First focus are the Milan to Naples and the Turin-Milan-Venice corridors. One of the aims of the project is to turn the rail network of Italy into a modern and high-tech system of passenger rail in accordance with updated European rail standards. A secondary purpose is to introduce high-speed rail to the country and its high-priority corridors. An important consideration of the lines is to improve travel times, train frequency, and safety. When demand on regular lines is lessened with the opening of dedicated high-speed lines, those regular lines will be used primarily for low-speed regional rail service and freight trains. With these ideas realised, the Italian train network can be integrated with other European rail networks, mostly the French TGV, German ICE, and Spanish AVE systems.

The dominant method of transport in Italy is the use of automobiles and the motorway network. There is a very strong divide of how people and goods are transported, the majority being carried using cars and trucks. A major reason to develop a highly developed and systematic rail network in the country is to encourage a sense of competitiveness between different modes of transport and to improve an under-utilised and aging rail infrastructure which lags behind the rest of Western Europe. Turning the Italian rail lines into high-capacity corridors ensures another transport option that is up to the standards of the rest of the continent. With two core lines, rail can branch out and reach more destinations than it has ever before in Italy. High-speed trains will connect major cities within the country along dedicated routes with speed unattainable by cars.