New Rail Line in Italy

NTV, or Nuovo Transporto Viaggiatori begins service in Italy on April 28. It's inaugural voyage is scheduled for Friday, and will be departing from the southern Italian town of Naples ending in Milan. The new privately-owned high-speed rail company is poised to break the Italian FS state railway monopoly. The open-access, high-speed rail operator is headed by Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, also the chairman of iconic carmakers Ferrari.

The train service will initially cover nine Italian cities, and will eventually have 25 trains. The 450-seat trains are capable of going up to 360 kilometers an hour, however they will not be going faster than 300 kph for now.  The new rail line hopes to have 25 percent of Italy's high-speed train market within 2 years. It will also compete with airlines, both Alitalia and low-cost carriers, with the launch of the non-stop Milan-Rome route August 26.