ITALIAN open-access high-speed operator Italo-NTV plans to start operations in Germany in April 2028. However, the company will not place an order worth €1.2bn with Siemens Mobility for 26 high-speed trains before receiving confirmation of its requested paths.

In an interview with Italian business daily Il Sole 24 Ore, Italo-NTV CEO, Gianbattista La Rocca, explained that the company’s first venture outside Italy has involved setting up a subsidiary in Germany last year. The new company has obtained a passenger operator’s licence and is in the process of obtaining its safety certificate.

La Rocca also reported that Italo-NTV has agreed a contract with Siemens covering the supply and maintenance of the new fleet that will be built in Germany. But in order for the contract to be signed, it is essential that infrastructure manager DB InfrGO provides Italo-NTV with “a clear and reliable picture” of the paths it has requested by the end of May.

“We have to sign the contract with Siemens by June,” La Rocca says. “We cannot postpone this date, as doing so would result in a significant delay in the delivery of the trains, which would make the project no longer viable.”

Italo-NTV is expecting to invest €1.2bn in the purchase of its initial fleet, with the contract containing an option for a further 14 high-speed trains. An additional €2.4bn will be spent under the 30-year maintenance element of the contract, and to meet start-up costs including staff training and investment in station and IT facilities.

With the intention of operating 50 trains a day on a 1300km network serving 18 cities, Italo-NTV is targeting the north-south Munich - Cologne - Dortmund and Munich - Berlin - Hamburg corridors where there is the most demand and the greatest need for additional capacity.

“Rather than competing against the system, we actually believe that competition - as demonstrated in Italy - enables high-speed rail to grow and become increasingly attractive,” La Rocca says.

For detailed data on high-speed fleet orders worldwide, subscribe to IRJ Pro.