Nov. 20 - Torino Porta Susa is Best European station of the year, while the best cross-border operator is Thello. Overall, this was an extremely successful year for Italian railways according to the European Rail Congress, held in London. A jury,  chaired by the English MEP Brian Simpson, awarded prizes alongside the European Commissioner for Transport Siim Kallas, and a representation of European Members of Parliament. Torino Porta Susa, a high-speed Italian rail network, received the European Rail Station Of The Year Award (category: Large). The new station in Turin was inaugurated in January 2013 and managed to beat the futuristic and innovative King 's Cross-St Pancras in London. The award was given for "having rejoined two parts of a city separated from rails for the last 150 years" and for "the architectural design that combines beauty and sustainability, an ecofriendly heating and ventilation system, powered by windows covered with solar panels." The Thello joint venture between Trenitalia and Transdev operates between France and Italy and won the award for European Cross-Border Operator Of The Year. It won thanks to "more than 300,000 passengers on the Venice - Paris rail in its first year of operation, +20 % from the forecast," and thanks to is " restaurant service for breakfast and dinner and the café open 24/7." Another element that allowed Thello to beat the competition was its punctuality: "90 % of trains arrived on time or with a delay of less than 30 minutes in 2012." The Italian FS also received numerous nominations: in the "Excellence in safety and security" category for the entire high speed / high capacity system from Turin to Salerno; and for two partnership projects, the Felix robot built by the Loccioni Group, able to check the conditions of railroad switches, and Multifunction SL4 portals by Mermec. Finally, Italferr was included in the shortlist for the "Engineering Excellence" prize, for its cable-stayed bridge over the River Po for the high speed line Milan - Bologna.

TORINO PORTA SUSA

Located between Bolzano and the tree-lined course of the "Spina," the new high-speed railway station Torino Porta Susa is a spectacular gallery of steel and glass - 386 meters long (and about 30 meters wide. Punctuated by a series of crossings, the tunnel is situated in continuity with the pre -existing street fabric. Inside the urban tunnel, there are services dedicated to travelers and the city, housed in transparent volumes of steel and glass, while in the two lower levels there are parking spaces and technical rooms. The architecture of the project reinterprets the magnificent modern urban tunnels of 19^th century Italian cities and 19^th century railway stations. The station is divided into four areas: the train system, with platform and tracks, below the main building; the traveler services system, with ticket offices, waiting rooms, information and other basic services for clients; the services system, with public utility equipment, entertainment, information points, and shopping and dining areas; and the integrated transport system, with the subway station underneath the railway tracks, car parks, and bus lines.