Beyond the banking sector, there is another front where the interest of Italian companies in the German market is viewed, depending on perspectives, with hope or suspicion. This concerns the railways. From Berlin, a phenomenon that would have seemed unthinkable a few years ago is being watched with growing attention: two Italian railway companies are ready to compete for German passengers on Germany’s tracks.
If Trenitalia, after announcing last autumn its intention to enter long-distance transport with fifty trains, is now focusing on the debut of direct connections between Munich, Rome, and Milan, it is Italo that is taking the spotlight in the German market.
The private company, which German media call the “Ferrari of trains” due to Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the unforgettable head of Ferrari during Michael Schumacher’s era, has taken concrete steps: the goal is to operate in Germany from 2028, putting on the table an investment of 3.6 billion euros for the purchase of 30 high-speed trains from Siemens.
The most coveted routes are those connecting Hamburg, Berlin, and Munich, and the one from Munich to Dortmund via Cologne.
AN OLD NETWORK THAT DOES NOT DISCOURAGE THE ITALIANS
Paradoxically, it is precisely the precarious state of the German railway infrastructure that makes the market interesting in the eyes of the new competitors. The network on which Deutsche Bahn trains run is outdated and subject to continuous breakdowns: delays, cancellations, and permanent construction sites have eroded the trust of German travelers. This fragility, however, does not discourage the Italian operators, who see a commercial maneuvering space in it.
Interviewed by the public broadcaster Ard, transport researcher Andreas Knie from the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin describes the arrival of new competitors as good news for customers: “What we need is competition to win customers, better service, better connections. We simply need more rail supply. And in this sense, anyone who deals with it should be welcomed.”
According to Knie, the entry of Italian operators could revitalize the overall offer and push Deutsche Bahn itself to cede some lines, with possible price-limiting effects on tickets. There remains, the expert notes, a missed opportunity: focusing only on already attractive routes leaves cross-border traffic uncovered, where demand exists but supply remains scarce.
THE FEARS OF DEUTSCHE BAHN AND THE UNION
While transport analysts look favorably on the new competition, the atmosphere in Deutsche Bahn’s offices is quite different. As soon as the news of Italo’s interest spread, CEO Evelyn Palla launched an appeal to the government, asking for clearer rules: “Otherwise, there is a risk of uncontrolled competition, the consequences of which could ultimately prove negative for the majority.”
Alongside management, the railway and transport union Evg also took a stand, whose general secretary Martin Burkert used more alarmist tones: “If Italo could choose only the most profitable routes and Deutsche Bahn were excluded from the main lines, our long-distance transport would suffer.”
Behind these words lies the fear that lower revenues on the most profitable routes would translate into fewer resources for less frequented regional connections: Evg even hypothesizes that at least 16 cities risk losing Intercity and high-speed (Ice) connections. Government circles, however, urge caution, calling such a scenario premature, while admitting that the point raises a legitimate issue to be explored.
THE ISSUE OF RAIL TRACKS
At the center of the dispute is a mechanism that appears peculiar to external observers: the decision on which operators can run on which tracks is not made by the Ministry of Transport nor by a third authority, but by DB InfraGO, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn itself, under the supervision of the Bundesnetzagentur, the Federal Network Agency.
The Minister of Transport, Patrick Schnieder of the CDU, welcomed the Italian interest, emphasizing that new offers could represent attractive alternatives and attract more passengers, but he referred to the usual procedures regarding track allocation.
Knie himself calls this structure unsustainable, introduced less than three years ago and already contested even within government circles: it is hard to imagine that a controlled company can decide independently, even against the interests of its parent group. Italo requests, by virtue of the large planned investments, long-term framework contracts, as an alternative to the current annual track allocation system. DB InfraGO rejected the request, arguing that the same rules must apply to everyone and that, in the absence of a legal basis to favor new entrants, the main railway nodes are already overloaded.
A DECISION EXPECTED BY THE END OF THE MONTH
Italo has filed a formal complaint with the Bundesnetzagentur, and CEO Gianbattista La Rocca did not hide some bitterness, stating to the newspaper Welt: “Every day there is a new reason why Italo should stay home. We do not want any privilege, we do not want a specific Italo rule. We just want clear and fair rules that allow competition.” His promise, echoed by Bild, is to “be five percent cheaper than Deutsche Bahn.”
A ruling by the authority is expected in the coming days and could set a significant precedent, not only for Italo but for the entire structure of German rail transport, where the state company still controls about 95 percent of the long-distance market, despite formal liberalization dating back decades.
The regulator’s verdict will say whether Germany is truly ready to open up to broader competition on its tracks, or whether Deutsche Bahn’s de facto monopoly will remain intact for the time being.
