ITALIAN State Railways (FS) has launched FS Advisory, a new specialist transport and infrastructure consultancy based in London that will offer advisory services to governments, institutional investors, operators, infrastructure developers, and construction and engineering companies worldwide.
FS says the new consultancy aims to meet growing demand for integrated transport expertise covering regulatory frameworks, infrastructure development and operations, capabilities which it says have traditionally been fragmented across separate consultancies.
FS Advisory will support clients from both the public and private sectors, drawing on the expertise of fellow FS subsidiaries such as passenger operator Trenitalia and infrastructure manager Italian Rail Network (RFI).
With expertise in both public service obligation (PSO) and commercial rail services, FS says the new consultancy will be able to advise on sector reform and digital solutions, including ticketing platforms and performance monitoring systems. FS Advisory will also offer shadow and interim management services.
FS Advisory is led by Ernesto Sicilia, formerly managing director of Trenitalia UK, which operated c2c commuter services in Britain under a contract with the government between 2017 and 2025. Trenitalia UK holds a 30% stake in Avanti West Coast (AWC), which continues to operate inter-city services on the West Coast Main Line (WCML).
"We are launching FS Advisory now because the next decade will see unprecedented investment in transport infrastructure globally, but that capital needs the right regulatory frameworks and operational models to deploy successfully,” says Stefano Antonio Donnarumma, FS CEO and general manager.
