Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) has announced a €650 million investment package to modernise ten stations and key ‘sensitive’ stretches of track serving the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. Details published on 6 February 2026 confirm that works span Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige, including electrification, step-free access, new siding areas and the removal of level crossings.
The programme—co-financed with €120 million from the Transport Ministry—targets bottlenecks that hinder both daily commuters and international visitors transferring from Milan or Venice airports to mountain venues. When complete, high-frequency regional trains will connect Milano Centrale to hubs such as Tirano and Cortina in under three hours, slashing current journey times by up to 40 per cent.
Whether you’re an athlete, sponsor, or spectator, ensuring your travel documents are in order will be just as important as booking the right train. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) offers a quick check of visa requirements, concierge support and door-to-door passport handling, helping travellers secure the necessary permissions for Italy well before the Olympic rush.
![RFI Commits €650 Million to Upgrade Olympic Rail Corridors Ahead of Milano-Cortina 2026]()
For corporate mobility planners the upgrades are more than an Olympic vanity project. Northern Italy’s Alpine corridor hosts dozens of manufacturing plants and logistics parks; improved freight paths and station capacity will facilitate just-in-time supply chains long after the Games. Business travellers will benefit from refurbished lounges, faster Wi-Fi and integrated ticketing with local bus operators.
Construction is being phased to avoid peak holiday periods, but travellers should anticipate overnight line closures and selective service cancellations—Italo has already rerouted trains 9992 and 9998 between 6-9 February. Companies should advise employees to check timetables and allow extra connection time, particularly when transferring to international flights at Malpensa.
Looking ahead, RFI says the Olympic package forms part of a wider €32 billion national rail plan that will see digital signalling and 200 km/h upgrades across the peninsula. The Milano-Cortina tranche provides an early test of Italy’s ability to deliver complex infrastructure on deadline, with the opening ceremony now less than two years away.
The programme—co-financed with €120 million from the Transport Ministry—targets bottlenecks that hinder both daily commuters and international visitors transferring from Milan or Venice airports to mountain venues. When complete, high-frequency regional trains will connect Milano Centrale to hubs such as Tirano and Cortina in under three hours, slashing current journey times by up to 40 per cent.
Whether you’re an athlete, sponsor, or spectator, ensuring your travel documents are in order will be just as important as booking the right train. VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) offers a quick check of visa requirements, concierge support and door-to-door passport handling, helping travellers secure the necessary permissions for Italy well before the Olympic rush.
For corporate mobility planners the upgrades are more than an Olympic vanity project. Northern Italy’s Alpine corridor hosts dozens of manufacturing plants and logistics parks; improved freight paths and station capacity will facilitate just-in-time supply chains long after the Games. Business travellers will benefit from refurbished lounges, faster Wi-Fi and integrated ticketing with local bus operators.
Construction is being phased to avoid peak holiday periods, but travellers should anticipate overnight line closures and selective service cancellations—Italo has already rerouted trains 9992 and 9998 between 6-9 February. Companies should advise employees to check timetables and allow extra connection time, particularly when transferring to international flights at Malpensa.
Looking ahead, RFI says the Olympic package forms part of a wider €32 billion national rail plan that will see digital signalling and 200 km/h upgrades across the peninsula. The Milano-Cortina tranche provides an early test of Italy’s ability to deliver complex infrastructure on deadline, with the opening ceremony now less than two years away.
