World

Italo orders 26 trains from Siemens Mobility for €3 billion and enters German market

Herz — World Desk · 20 July 2026 at 13:03 · 30s summary · 3 min read

The essentials

Italian private railway operator Italo has signed a €3 billion contract with Siemens Mobility for 26 Velaro Multi System high-speed trains, along with a 30-year maintenance agreement. The total investment to enter the German market is estimated at €3.6 billion, including approximately 2,500 new jobs. Starting in 2028, Italo plans to offer 50 daily connections across 1,300 km serving 18 cities on two major corridors. Deutsche Bahn currently controls roughly 95% of Germany's long-distance rail traffic.

€3 billion contract with Siemens Mobility for 26 Velaro Multi System trains with option for 14 additional units
Total investment estimated at ~€3.6 billion for German market entry, creating approximately 2,500 jobs
Two corridors planned from 2028: Munich–Cologne–Dortmund and Munich–Berlin–Hamburg covering 1,300 km
Bundesnetzagentur requires ≥25% of capacity on congested corridors be allocated to Deutsche Bahn competitors
Deutsche Bahn holds ~95% of long-distance traffic; FlixTrain is the sole current competitor

Italo commande 26 trains à Siemens Mobility pour 3 milliards € et entre sur le rail allemand — Velotopist, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

What We Know

Italian private railway operator Italo (formerly Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori) has signed a €3 billion contract with Siemens Mobility for 26 Velaro Multi System high-speed trains—the family of multi-current trainsets by Siemens Mobility, structurally similar to the ICE-3 Neo trains operated by Deutsche Bahn—with an option for an additional 14 units, according to Handelsblatt and Wirtschaftswoche.

These trains are manufactured at Siemens' Krefeld facility and can reach up to 320 km/h. Their design, closely resembling German ICE trains, ensures proven compatibility with local railway infrastructure.

A 30-year maintenance contract with Siemens has also been concluded, with maintenance to be provided from Dortmund.

Italo's total investment for entering the German market is estimated at approximately €3.6 billion. This encompasses the purchase of trains, 30 years of maintenance, recruitment and training of approximately 2,500 employees, as well as investments in stations and IT infrastructure.

From 2028 onwards, Italo plans to operate on two corridors: Munich–Cologne–Dortmund and Munich–Berlin–Hamburg. The network will cover 1,300 km, serve 18 cities, and offer 50 daily connections.

Gianbattista La Rocca, Italo's CEO, stated that the company aims to offer German passengers greater choice, more frequent connections, fair pricing, and quality service.

Context: A Quasi-Monopolistic Market

Deutsche Bahn, the federal railway company, controls approximately 95% of long-distance rail traffic in Germany. Its only significant competitor is currently FlixTrain, the railway subsidiary of FlixMobility GmbH, founded in 2018.

To genuinely open the network to competition, the Bundesnetzagentur—Germany's Federal Network Agency, the rail sector regulatory authority under the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate with headquarters in Bonn—has mandated that at least 25% of capacity on the most congested corridors must be allocated to Deutsche Bahn competitors. This decision was partly triggered by Italo's advocacy efforts with regulators.

Timeline

Before July 2026
Following Italo's advocacy with regulators, the Bundesnetzagentur adopts a ruling requiring that at least 25% of capacity on Germany's busiest rail corridors be reserved for Deutsche Bahn competitors, removing the primary regulatory barrier to new market entry.
July 2026
Italo signs a €3 billion contract with Siemens Mobility for 26 Velaro Multi System trains (with option for 14 additional) and a 30-year maintenance contract based in Dortmund. Total investment is estimated at approximately €3.6 billion, including approximately 2,500 jobs.