Italy: The refurbished ETR 500 Mercitalia Fast electric train operated on a line between the Caserta and Bologna terminals from 2018 to 2022.
With a design speed of 300 km/h, it covered a distance of about 600 km in 3.5 hours at a maximum speed of 250 km/h. The train had two head cars and 12 intermediate ones converted for the transport of small packages. The project was criticised for its dependence on a single customer, Amazon.
A car of the ETR 500 Mercitalia Fast, which was converted for the transportation of small packages. Source: clamfer
The train has been out of service since November 2022, as its intermediate cas have reached the end of their service life. It was considered impractical to convert them for passenger service.
Small packages in a car of the ETR 500 Mercitalia Fast. Source: clamfer
Similar mail trains are operating in other countries. For example, one was in service in France until 2015, and another was unveiled by CRRC in 2020. However, there has been no further news on the latter. The possibility of introducing high-speed freight trains is being considered in Russia. The idea is to use the high-speed rail network for this.
