Page content
High speed-High capacity
The Italian High-Speed/High-Capacity railway system extends for more than 1000 km over most of the country.
The HS-HC network connects Turin to Salerno via Milan and is due for further expansion through the upgrade of the Genoa - Milan and Milan – Trieste axes.
The new lines are designed to carry mixed traffic (hence the double designation HS-HC) comprising medium and long-distance passenger and freight trains, and will be closely integrated into the current rail network through numerous interconnections and, at a later stage, connected to the European network.
The design and functional features of the new high-speed lines, which adopt Level 2 ERTMS/ETCS (European Railway Traffic Management System/European Train Control System), enable an almost two-fold increase in previous train circulation capacity in total safety. It will be thus be possible to assign the pre-existing lines to local and regional passenger and freight traffic thereby increasing overall transport service provisions and improving mobility in urban nodes.
In fact, as part of the HS-HC project, the major railway nodes of Turin, Milan, Verona, Bologna, Florence, Rome and Naples are being upgraded and reorganised. The urban penetration of the new high-speed lines also provides an opportunity to improve transportation systems in the main metropolitan area networks.
With the December 2009 activation of the new fast Bologna-Florence and Novara-Milan stretches, the goal of "uniting Italy" has been reached.
Italferr is the engineering company of Ferrovie dello Stato Group and is responsible for the implementation of investments in infrastructure and technology in the railway sector. In this context, Italferr oversees the technical and managerial aspects of the entire investment process, handling at various stages design work and/or monitoring designs by general and sub-contractors, obtaining authorisations from local and national bodies and institutions, tendering, construction contract management, works management and monitoring, assistance with technical testing and verification of plants and systems through to activation of infrastructures and consignment to the end operator.
