Nov. 20 – Torino Porta Susa is Best European station of the year, while the best cross-border operator is Thello. Overall, this was an extremely successful year for Italian railways according to the European Rail Congress, held in London. A jury, chaired by the English MEP Brian Simpson, awarded prizes alongside the European Commissioner for Transport Siim Kallas, and a representation of European Members of Parliament. Torino Porta Susa, a high-speed Italian rail network, received the European Rail Station Of The Year Award (category: Large). The new station in Turin was inaugurated in January 2013 and managed to beat the futuristic and innovative King ‘s Cross-St Pancras in London. The award was given for “having rejoined two parts of a city separated from rails for the last 150 years” and for “the architectural design that combines beauty and sustainability, an ecofriendly heating and ventilation system, powered by windows covered with solar panels.” The Thello joint venture between Trenitalia and Transdev operates between France and Italy and won the award for European Cross-Border Operator Of The Year. It won thanks to “more than 300,000 passengers on the Venice – Paris rail in its first year of operation, +20 % from the forecast,” and thanks to is ” restaurant service for breakfast and dinner and the café open 24/7.” Another element that allowed Thello to beat the competition was its punctuality: “90 % of trains arrived on time or with a delay of less than 30 minutes in 2012.” The Italian FS also received numerous nominations: in the “Excellence in safety and security” category for the entire high speed / high capacity system from Turin to Salerno; and for two partnership projects, the Felix robot built by the Loccioni Group, able to check the conditions of railroad switches, and Multifunction SL4 portals by Mermec. Finally, Italferr was included in the shortlist for the “Engineering Excellence” prize, for its cable-stayed bridge over the River Po for the high speed line Milan – Bologna.
