ERTMS to go live across Rome-Florence high-speed route
ITALY: The final unequipped section of the Rome–Florence high-speed railway is due to enter service with the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) in April, completing rollout of the signalling standard across the entire route.
Infrastructure manager RFI says activation will focus on the Orvieto–Settebagni section, the last stretch of the corridor where ERTMS has not yet entered service.
Final gap closes on key Italian high-speed axis
The Rome–Florence Direttissima forms one of Italy’s core high-speed corridors linking the capital with northern Italy and carrying both high-speed and fast conventional services.
Bringing the line fully under ERTMS aligns it with the signalling system used on the rest of Italy’s high-speed network, allowing trains to operate under one signalling standard across the whole route.
Commissioning works scheduled in April
RFI says the high-speed Rovezzano–Settebagni section will be closed from 00:00 on April 11 until 15:00 on April 12 for ERTMS activation works. The conventional Orte–Roma Tiburtina line will meanwhile be closed from 14:00 on April 11 until 05:00 on April 12.
Services are expected to resume progressively after the works, with normal operations scheduled to return from April 14.
Part of wider national rollout
The Rome–Florence activation forms part of Italy’s programme to extend ERTMS beyond the dedicated high-speed network onto conventional main lines.
Italy plans to equip around 2,800 km of railway with the system under projects funded through the national recovery programme.