Cross-border invasions continue in Europe as part of the opening up of rail competition. While SNCF will enter the Italian market in 2027 with its low-cost brand Ouigo, the Italian company Italo has just announced its intention to establish a presence in Germany in 2028 in order to compete with Deutsche Bahn (DB). The NTV group, which controls Italo, intends to dedicate no less than €3.6 billion to this project, including €1.2 billion for the order of 26 high-speed trainsets.
This remaining funding will be used, in particular, for the commercial launch, staff training, station refurbishments, and the maintenance of the trains for 30 years. In order to adapt perfectly to the German network, Italo is setting aside the Alstom trains currently used in Italy in favour of trains that will come out – like those of DB – from the German group Siemens' factories. Their colour will be blue, abandoning the red of the Italian livery.
A tight schedule until 2028
Gianbattista La Rocca, the CEO of Italo, detailed his roadmap in the Italian business newspaper. Il Sole 24 Oree. Having already established a German subsidiary and obtained its rail licence, the company will commence « The procedure for obtaining the security certificate ". He added: " It is absolutely necessary that by May, the German railway infrastructure manager gives us a clear framework, some of the train paths and station spaces we need to operate the service. ".
In order to meet its launch schedule and fit in with Siemens' manufacturing timeline, the order for 24 Velaro-type trains must be signed before the end of June, with the contract currently being finalised including an option for an additional 14 trainsets. This deadline is non-negotiable as it would significantly prolong delivery times and make the project industrially unviable. ", he adds. NTV forecasts that Italo's arrival will generate 2,500 direct and indirect jobs in Germany."
Dynamic pricing to compete with DB
While DB is not at its best in Germany, Italo plans to connect 18 cities by mid-2028 and tackle the busiest – and therefore most lucrative – routes such as Munich-Cologne-Dortmund and Munich-Berlin-Hamburg. The operator plans to quickly gain market share there thanks to attractive prices, which will be adjusted according to supply and demand. The German market resembles the Italian market before liberalisation., declared Luca di Montezemolo, the president of NTV in the daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Since we first started operating in Italy, competition has driven average prices down by 40%. We expect to see a similar trend in Germany ".
With frequent services – around 50 a day – high-quality amenities (Wi-Fi, on-board dining, etc.) and flexible pricing, Italo aims to expand the high-speed rail market in Germany, which currently exceeds 110 million passengers a year. The operator estimates the growth potential at 40%.
