ITA Airways and Trenitalia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop ‘an integrated mobility ecosystem’ across Italy, with AI at the forefront.
According to the agreement, the two companies will work together to simplify multimodal travel with new digital services and integrated business models.
The two transport companies have also pledged to improve intermodal connections between the country’s airport hubs and railway stations and provide travellers with “personalised and sustainable” travel options.
The move marks a further step in the companies’ multimodal efforts, following the 2023 launch of the 'plane + train' ticket, which enables travellers to book integrated journeys with a single ticket.
The agreement also includes the establishment of a joint ‘AI Intermodality and Sustainability Lab’, which the companies said will be dedicated to “designing, developing and testing” AI solutions for travel flow optimisation, predictive demand management and CO2 emissions reduction.
“Through the effective use of AI, we will be able to address the operational barriers of the intermodal experience in a structured way, simplifying processes, anticipating customer needs and making travel more efficient and sustainable,” said ITA Airways CEO and general manager, Joerg Eberhart.
Trenitalia CEO and general manager Gianpiero Strisciuglio added: “We view AI and advanced digital solutions as strategic tools to remove barriers to intermodal projects… the creation of the AI Intermodality and Sustainability Lab represents a concrete step to jointly develop and test priority use cases and accelerate the transformation of the transport system.”