Paris - Milan trains resume circulation after rockfall stops route for 19 months

Direct train services between Paris and Milan start again today (March 31) after a 19-month hiatus following a major Alpine rockfall. 

The first trains left the respective cities early this morning, for the journey that takes around seven hours.

€13 million in repairs 

The service cuts through the Alps, following several tunnels. 

In August 2023, a major rockslide in the Maurienne valley led to 15,000 cubic metres of rockfall, destroying tracks and blocking a key tunnel on the narrow route. 

Train services were suspended, with rail passengers either having to take a bus for part of the route – greatly increasing journey times – or connect via Nice/Genoa, also adding several hours. 

Initially, the route was expected to open after a few days of clearing the rocks, but the scale of the work soon became clear. 

Explosives were used to clear some of the rocks from the tracks and the A43 motorway which was also impacted by the landslide as authorities looked to reopen the route. 

“It (the work) was non-stop, seven days a week. There were very few stops due to bad weather. We had as many as 23 rope access technicians hanging off cliffs at the same time,” said the Savoie department’s Anne Lescurier, who helped oversee the project, to media outlet RMC.

“When it came to emptying [rocks from some parts of the route] it was done with fully remote-controlled machines, because we couldn't put people underneath - it wasn't safe,” she added. 

It cost over €13.5 million to clear the rocks from the rail tracks and roads and reopen the tunnels for service.

High traffic volumes expected? 

Five high-speed services between Paris and Milan will run each day – three operated by French state-owned rail operator SNCF, and two from Italian counterpart Trenitalia. 

However, at its peak prior to the landslide, up to 30 trains ran through the Maurienne Valley per day, including several local services for residents and tourists in the Alps. 

These will be reintroduced as rail authorities hope to see passenger numbers return to previous high levels. 

For its part, Trenitalia is further expanding into the French rail network, offering a Paris-Marseille route. 

Read more: TGV: Trenitalia opens ticket sales from €27 for new Paris-Marseille route

EU regulations on competition mean rail lines across the bloc have been open to tender, leading to several state-owned companies offering services in neighbouring countries. 

Spain’s national train operator RENFE is offering services in France alongside Trenitalia; equally SNCF is interested in operating several routes outside of France.