The man who first dared to challenge Trenitalia on the Turin – Milan tracks is now trying to restart the “suspended lines”, those interrupted and often forgotten railways of which Piedmont holds a dismal record of “dead branches,” as many as 15. Giuseppe Arena, ten years after the failure of Arenaways, a “derailment” only partially compensated by the sentences of the TAR and the Council of State which ruled in his favor by establishing “anti-competitive conduct by Trenitalia”, is ready to get back on track with the same brand but a completely new train with new routes.
On January 7th at 6 in the morning, at Savigliano station, the Arenaways locomotive will restart by restarting 49 kilometers of railway line between Savigliano, Saluzzo and Cuneo, interrupted for 12 years because they remained outside the service contract with Trenitalia. «Modern trains, free wifi, infotainment and bike racks, ticket integrated with the buses. We are convinced that quality can make local rail transport competitive even where it is no longer considered attractive by the market”, he explains Matteo Arena, son of Giuseppe Arena and CEO of the railway company. It starts in 2025 with the Savigliano-Saluzzo-Cuneo line, covering 28 trains a day from 6am to 9pm. This will be followed by the reopening of the Ceva-Ormea, another suspended line. In its business plan, Arenaways expects more than 271,000 passengers per year starting from 2025, reaching almost 350,000 travelers by 2034.
The Piedmont region has chosen Arenaways’ offer to put two suspended local transport lines in Piedmont back on track, with a public contribution of 3.6 million. «We try to offer the transportation that people need. And our offer is very competitive. Suffice it to say that for the reopening of the Asti-Alba and Casale Monferrato-Mortara lines, Trenitalia asked for 3 million per line. Giuseppe Arena’s adventure begins again with three partners. Longitudewhich is the family holding company, Charon & Tourist (maritime connections in the Mediterranean), 250 million in revenues and 1,200 employees; and Generali Costruzioni Ferroviarie, 550 million turnover and 1,400 employees. «We are all family businesses: long-term investors», says Giuseppe Arena. He could also join the corporate structure Renfe, the Spanish railwayswho are interested, according to what the Spanish economic newspaper reports Expansion, to invest in Italy and in the capital of Arenaways. Because the new adventure is configured as the line of the first private passenger operator with local public transport obligation. «Which is not a deadwood market – continues Arena -. But a market of people who are passengers in need of transportation. It’s not just high speed. In fact, we are also looking at other routes to restart.”
In Piedmont, as mentioned, there are 15 forgotten lines, left out of the service contracts with Trenitalia. Throughout Italy, there are 38 suspended lines. There is room for growth. And then there are the Intercity buses. «Let’s start from here. But we are aiming for other suspended lines also outside Piedmont and we have asked for authorization to operate intercity services”, explains Matteo Arena.
