Italo to challenge Deutsche Bahn in Germany's high-speed rail sector.Italy's privately owned high-speed rail operator Italo has announced an ambitious plan to enter the German market, positioning itself as the first private competitor to Deutsche Bahn on the country's main intercity rail corridors.The investment programme is valued at €3.6 billion and covers 30 years of maintenance as well as staff training, station-related spending and the IT systems needed to launch operations, newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore reports. The rolling stock element of the plan involves an initial order of 26 trains, with an option for a further 14, at an estimated cost of €1.2 billion. The remaining €2.4 billion covers the long-term maintenance and operational costs. Trains and routes Italo is considering an order for Siemens Velaro trains, built at Siemens' Krefeld facility - the same platform used for Deutsche Bahn's ICE 3neo - a factor that could ease regulatory approval and accelerate entry into service. The trains would be capable of operating at up to 320 km/h. The planned German network would link 18 cities across about 1,300 kilometres, offering up to 50 daily services along two main corridors: Munich-Cologne-Dortmund and Munich-Berlin-Hamburg. These are among the busiest passenger routes in Europe. International expansion Italo's chief executive, Gianbattista La Rocca, described the German venture as the company's first step towards international expansion. He confirmed that the German subsidiary has been established, the rail licence obtained and the safety certification process begun. He also said a contract with Siemens must be signed by June, warning that any delay would make the project industrially unviable given the knock-on effect on train delivery timelines. The CEO added that the infrastructure manager DB InfraGO must provide clarity on route access and station capacity by the end of May for the schedule to hold.   Italy's high-speed model Italo chairman and co-founder, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, drew parallels with the Italian market before competition was introduced, expressing confidence that a similar improvement in services and fares could be achieved in Germany. He noted that the EU has cited Italy's high-speed model as a reference point for other countries. The company estimates the German high-speed market at 110-120 million passengers a year and sees significant room for further growth. The project is expected to create around 2,500 direct and indirect jobs, in addition to employment connected with train manufacturing, and Italo will pay around €250 million annually in track access charges to DB InfraGO. Italo's shareholder base - led by MSC and including GIP, Allianz and the founding partners - backs the plan, with La Rocca framing it as a medium- and long-term industrial initiative rather than purely a financial investment. The operator stressed that its German expansion does not signal a retreat from Italy, where it plans to grow its fleet from 51 to 63 trains, with first deliveries expected by the end of 2027. If the plan proceeds on schedule, the first Italo services in Germany are expected to begin in mid-2028. Photo credit: BalkansCat / Shutterstock.com

Italy's privately owned high-speed rail operator Italo has announced an ambitious plan to enter the German market, positioning itself as the first private competitor to Deutsche Bahn on the country's main intercity rail corridors. The investment programme is valued at €3.6 billion and covers 30 years of maintenance as well as staff training, station-related spending and the IT systems needed to launch operations, newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore reports. The rolling stock element of the plan involves an initial order of 26 trains, with an option for a further 14, at an estimated cost of €1.2 billion. The remaining €2.4 billion covers the long-term maintenance and operational costs. Italo is considering an order for Siemens Velaro trains, built at Siemens' Krefeld facility - the same platform used for Deutsche Bahn's ICE 3neo - a factor that could ease regulatory approval and accelerate entry into service. The trains would be capable of operating at up to 320 km/h. The planned German network would link 18 cities across about 1,300 kilometres, offering up to 50 daily services along two main corridors: Munich-Cologne-Dortmund and Munich-Berlin-Hamburg. These are among the busiest passenger routes in Europe. Italo's chief executive, Gianbattista La Rocca, described the German venture as the company's first step towards international expansion. He confirmed that the German subsidiary has been established, the rail licence obtained and the safety certification process begun. He also said a contract with Siemens must be signed by June, warning that any delay would make the project industrially unviable given the knock-on effect on train delivery timelines. The CEO added that the infrastructure manager DB InfraGO must provide clarity on route access and station capacity by the end of May for the schedule to hold.   Italo chairman and co-founder, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, drew parallels with the Italian market before competition was introduced, expressing confidence that a similar improvement in services and fares could be achieved in Germany. He noted that the EU has cited Italy's high-speed model as a reference point for other countries. The company estimates the German high-speed market at 110-120 million passengers a year and sees significant room for further growth. The project is expected to create around 2,500 direct and indirect jobs, in addition to employment connected with train manufacturing, and Italo will pay around €250 million annually in track access charges to DB InfraGO. Italo's shareholder base - led by MSC and including GIP, Allianz and the founding partners - backs the plan, with La Rocca framing it as a medium- and long-term industrial initiative rather than purely a financial investment. The operator stressed that its German expansion does not signal a retreat from Italy, where it plans to grow its fleet from 51 to 63 trains, with first deliveries expected by the end of 2027. If the plan proceeds on schedule, the first Italo services in Germany are expected to begin in mid-2028.