Rome, 31 July 2019
Today in an ordinary session following the expiry of their terms in office, the members of the Board of Directors of the Fondazione Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane were reappointed.
Gianfranco Battisti, CEO and General Manager of the FS Italiane Group was elected President of Fondazione FS.
The foundation’s board was confirmed, and will thus be made up of Prof. Mons. Liberio Andreatta (formerly CEO of Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi), Roberto Mannozzi (Director of Central Budget, Tax and Audit Administration at FS Italiane), Marco Caposciutti (Technical Director of Trenitalia) and by Umberto Lebruto (CEO of FS Sistemi Urbani). Luigi Cantamessa was reconfirmed in his role as General Manager of Fondazione FS Italiane, his third consecutive mandate.
The foundation thus starts off on its fourth management mandate after notable growth in all the areas relating to its mission: historic-tourist trains, museums and archives. In just six years, around 180 pieces of rolling stock have been restored which are now back in working state for use by special tours on the most scenic railway lines in the country, and which bear witness to the history of Italian design.
Classic train tourism has increased by an annual average of 15%. The major work to digitalise the archives has also been completed, meaning the documentary treasure of our railways can be shared: an insight into a piece of Italian history through photos and videos of trains, stations and railway lines.
The Museo Nazionale Ferroviario di Pietrarsa, which is considered the finest in Europe, has been completely restored and returned to its original magnificent state; restoration work has also begun to restore the second great railway museum, at Trieste Campo Marzio.
The Fondazione FS, as part of the FS Italiane Group, is increasingly focused on a project to develop experience-based tourism: that is a challenge that will become reality over the coming months with the start of tourist services carried out by the historic electric trains from the 1960s, such as the ETR 250 Arlecchino, and the Settebello and the Pendolino, which will begin charter services starting from 2021.
The Fondazione FS Italiane’s fleet of historic trains is the largest in Europe and will travel throughout the country, giving a further, decisive push to railway tourism in Italy.