One day in the next few months an extraordinary event will take place in the Brenner pass in the Alps between Italy and Austria. A train will arrive from Italy, change drivers, and after 10 minutes head off to Austria.

It will be extraordinary because for decades trains have stopped to remove a locomotive. After 45 minutes they head off powered by a locomotive from the other country. This is slow and inefficient and ties up two locomotives. However, it has taken the arrival of Italy’s Rail Traction Company – a private company, encouraged by European Union liberalisation rules – for anything to change.