Paris - Milan train route to reopen in March

The TGV route between Paris and Milan is set to reopen this spring after more than a year of being closed following an Alpine landslide that blocked a key tunnel.

Direct trains run by French national operator SNCF between the two cities (and Turin) will recommence on March 31 in the direction of Paris - Milan, with services in the following direction beginning a day later.

The SNCF will run three round-trips per day on the route, with Italian counterpart Trenitalia running two return services per day.

Up to 30 trains per day (including local services) ran through the tunnel before the landslide, with both the French and Italian rail services hoping a similar level of traffic will be reached again.

Landslide shut off route

The route, travelling through the Alps, was closed to rail traffic following a major landslide in the Maurienne valley in August 2023. 

The landslide completely buried a tunnel along the route and caused intensive damage to the infrastructure along the line.

Up to 5,000 cubic metres of rock had to be removed before repair works could begin.

A replacement bus service has been in place through the valley whilst the works were taking place, collecting passengers from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (Savoie) and dropping them off in Oulx (Piedmont). From here passengers travelled via train to their final destination.

This took up to nine and a half hours compared to six - seven hours solely by train. 

Read more: Major road tunnel between France and Italy set to reopen after ten years of construction work