ROMA – The FS Group tests the assault on the English Channel with a new American partner. To bring the Frecciarossa onto the most sought-after railway corridor in Europe – the Paris-London – slogans and good intentions are not enough. You need money, industrial skills and a strategy capable of facing the competition. Thus the alliance – a joint venture – becomes official which can allow you to meet the challenge.
On the one hand there is the FS Group, led by the CEO Stefano Antonio Donnarumma. On the other hand, the Certares fund, an international investor with headquarters in New York (Madison Avenue) and also presence in Luxembourg and Milan.
The plan is ambitious: to activate a direct service between Paris and London from 2029, competing with Eurostar for a route that is now almost a de facto “monopoly”.. In this framework, Certares will invest in the French subsidiary of the FS Group (Trenitalia France).
The fleet
Beyond the challenge for the English Channel, Certares will help Trenitalia France to strengthen the connections it currently guarantees within the transalpine country (on the Paris–Lyon and Paris–Marseille routes)as well as on Paris–Milan.
Gracie a Certares Trenitalia France will expand its fleet to at least 19 trains; the frequencies on existing routes (up to 28 daily trips on the Paris–Lyon route); finally also the workforce with hundreds of new hires.
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Investments in tourism
Certares, in Italy, has already left traces. In the summer of 2022, with the Draghi government still in office, the fund negotiated exclusively with the Ministry of Economy the purchase of the majority of Ita Airways. After the change of government, however, the solution was shelved and Lufthansa was awarded the company, for 41% of the capital.
The return of Certares in an Italian and European dossier – and in the travel industry – it’s not random. In France and the United Kingdom, Certares has a strong presence precisely in the distribution of travel through
– American Express Global Business Travel (incluse CWT, Ovation ed Egencia),
– Marietton Développement (included Havas Voyages and Selectour),
– World Travelers (including Original Travel)
– e Internova Travel Group (incluso Barrhead Travel).
As part of the partnership with the FS Group, Competitors stand to facilitate the agreement commercial between Trenitalia France and its portfolio companies.
On the financial front, unofficial estimates are circulating: political circles speak of a 200 million commitment from Certares, in support of a total investment in the order of one billion euros.
The workshops in France
In the UK Keir Starmer’s Labor government prepares the return of public control of rail transport through Great British Railways. In such a scenario, creating a joint British-based company would have been problematic.
For this reason, the alliance takes shape on French territory. Adequate workshops are also needed to run high-speed trains between Gare du Nord and St Pancras. The English regulator Orr authorized Richard Branson’s Virgin Trains to access the key Temple Mills facility.
FS e Certares dunque avranno their workshops – again – on French soil, and not in the United Kingdom. In particular, a new maintenance plant near Paris will be expanded, on a site recently assigned to Trenitalia France.
