Italo Holding and Siemens Mobility have announced the signing of a new agreement for the supply of 26 high-speed trains destined for operation on Germany’s high-speed rail network.
Signed in Munich; the 3.6 billion EUR contract marks a major milestone in bringing open-access competition to one of the largest rail markets in Europe.
All trains, Siemens Velaro Multi system sets, will feature eight-car trainsets with 450 seats across three different travel classes – Club Executive, Prima Business, and Smart – alongside a bistro car and both ultra-fast 5G and Starlink satellite connectivity.
The contract covers the purchase of the trains – assembled at Siemens’ plant in Krefeld – the recruitment and training of roughly 2,500 employees across operations and related industries, a 30-year full-service agreement, and further investments in stations and IT infrastructure.
Additionally, the contract includes Siemens’ Railigent X and AI-based digital services, which are expected to further maximise fleet availability throughout the trains’ lifecycle.
Starting in mid-2028, Italo Holding will commence operations along two main corridors: Munich-Cologne-Dortmund and Munich-Berlin-Hamburg, serving 18 cities across a 1,300km network with a total of 50 daily services.
Gianbattista La Rocca, CEO of Italo Holding, said:We are committed to bringing German passengers greater choice, more frequent services, fair prices and a high-quality service. It starts with the trains: Siemens Mobility's technology sets the standard, and a 3.6 billion EUR total investment reflects the depth of our commitment to this market.
Following the Bundesnetzagentur decision, we are now ready to take the concrete steps needed to launch services in 2028, from the hiring and training of staff to the development of the full industrial, operational, and commercial structure of our new German business.
We thank our shareholders - MSC, GIP (a part of BlackRock), Allianz, and our founding partners - for the strong support they have provided throughout this phase.
