is an Italian open-access train operating company operating in the field of high-speed rail transport under the brand name Italo (), stylized as .italo,.
Commencing services in early 2012, it became Europe's first private open access operator of high-speed trains.
NTV was created in 2006 as a privately owned high speed rail operator. In January 2008, the company ordered 25 Alstom Automotrice à grande vitesse (AGV) trainsets, which formed NTV's initial fleet. Despite intentions to begin services in late 2011, the launch of passenger operations were postponed to April 2012 due to lengthy certification processes. On 28 April 2012, NTV conducted its first service. In its first year of operation, 2 million passengers used NTV's trains. By 2016, annual ridership reached 11 million, taking market share from competing airlines and state-owned incumbent Trenitalia. Further trainsets of Alstom's Pendolino family have also been procured, as well as coordination with bus operators, as measures to expand NTV's service coverage.
The headquarters of NTV is located in Rome. Since April 2018, the company is majority owned by the infrastructure equity investment fund Global Infrastructure Partners. As of October 2019, the company operates an average of 93 services per day, covering 54 cities. NTV currently operates only within Italy, but has ambitions to launch future services elsewhere in Europe, including Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Activities
For the performance of its services, commercially promoted under the name Italo, NTV deploys the AGV 575, commissioned to Alstom in 2008, and the electric train NTV ETR 675, also committed to Alstom in 2015 and which from 7 December 2017 - following the change of the railway timetable - gradually enter in service. The Italo services travel both on dedicated high-speed lines and on conventional lines, and compete on the market with the Frecciarossa and Frecciargento trains of Trenitalia.
Routes
Routes served by NTV are those of the Italian high-speed rail network. The service consists of several routes, for a total of 93 daily trips serving 54 cities and 59 stations:
Turin - Milan - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples - Salerno - Agropoli Castellabate - Vallo della Lucania - Sapri - Maratea - Scalea - Paola - Lamezia Terme - Vibo Pizzo - Rosarno - Villa San Giovanni - Reggio Calabria Venice - Padua - Ferrara - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples - Salerno Brescia - Verona - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples - Salerno Turin - Milan - Brescia - Verona - Vicenza - Padua - Venezia Bolzano - Trento - Verona - Bologna - Florence - Rome Bergamo - Brescia - Verona - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Naples Naples - Rome - Florence - Bologna - Ferrara - Padua - Venice - Treviso - Conegliano - Pordenone - Udine Milan - Bologna - Rimini - Riccione - Pesaro - Ancona Naples – Rome – Florence – Forlì – Cesena – Rimini – Riccione – Cattolica – Pesaro Turin - Milan - Reggio Emilia - Bologna - Florence - Rome - Caserta - Benevento - Foggia - Barletta - Trani – Bisceglie – Molfetta - Bari Naples - Rome - Florence - Bologna - Rovigo - Padua - Venice - Portogruaro - Latisana - Monfalcone - Trieste
History
Background
The company was created in 2006 by Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, Diego Della Valle, Gianni Punzo and Francesco Sciarrone with the aim to compete on Italian high speed rail operator in view of the liberalization of the railway sector in the European Union. The company was launched with an initial investment of €967 million, €625 million of which was spent on rolling stock. NTV's shareholders took on a significant risk in their startup as Italy was the first country in the world to open its high speed rail market to competition.
In January 2008 NTV changed its corporate structure with the entry of Intesa Sanpaolo, followed in October of the same year by the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français (SNCF); in the same year the railway company ordered to Alstom the construction of twenty-five trains of the Automotrice à grande vitesse (AGV) type, which were built in the plants of La Rochelle and Savigliano.