Following the interest in taking over the rolling stock maintenance supplier Rosco, the Greek railway operator, TrainOSE – acquired in 2017 by the Italian company Ferrovie dello Stato – now plans to enter the urban public transport market in Greece.
Thus, TrainOSE is on the way to expand its activity by taking over the metro systems in the capital of Athens and in the city of Thessaloniki. Consequently, the Greek Privatization Agency, HRADF, in charge of all urban transport companies serving Athens, will soon have to make a decision announcing whether to sell these public transport companies completely or whether to approve the introduction of strategic investors.
The local media in Greece informs that the Italians at Ferrovie dello Stato, via TrainOSE, are very interested in taking over the metro system in the two cities.
Moreover, Ferrovie dello Stato is keen to expand its activities and has recently initiated a merger between the rail infrastructure company (Rete Ferroviaria Italiana) and road infrastructure manager (ANAS). Also, Ferrovie dello Stato Group has expanded recently on the suburban passenger transport market in the Netherlands, while in Milan it obtained a 36.7% share of the concession for Milan’s 5th Metro Line.
According to the 2017-2026 Investment Plan, Ferrovie dello Stato Group plans to invest over EUR 90 billion in expanding its activities both in Italy and abroad.
Recently, in February 2018, the Italian operator Trenitalia announced that it will invest approximately EUR 500 million to purchase rolling stock for TrainOSE. Trenitalia is part of the Ferrovie dello Stato Group, controlled by the Italian state. We remind that in September 2017, Ferrovie dello Stato bought the entire stake of the Greek operator, TrainOSE. The transaction was concluded for EUR 45 million.
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