They call it RailEvo – the world’s first self-driving train taxi, and it’s Italian. Born from a Trentino startup, this project aims to solve the limitations of single-track rail lines by offering an on-demand, 24/7 electric service – no fixed schedule, no middle stops – purely ride-when-you-need-it.
Nicola Mosca, cofounder and CEO, says this new technology lets us use existing rail infrastructure differently – cutting travel times by around 60% and quadrupling passenger capacity. The idea came in 2023 thanks to engineer Federico Bernabei, who, along with Mosca and engineer Diego Barbisan from the consultancy Mudra Spa, founded the company. Their mission: take weak, underused single-track services – ones often failing in service quality or financial sustainability – and upgrade them. In place of old systems, RailEvo would use the same right of way but allow bi-directional travel without long waits.
