The Italian state-owned rail freight operator Mercitalia is reportedly interested in acquiring shares of Compagnia Ferroviaria Italiana (CFI), one of the largest private entities in Italy’s market. The main goal of this initiative would be to transfer single wagonload operations to CFI with Mercitalia focussing on block train traffic.
The deal would involve Mercitalia Logistics purchasing a 30 per cent minority stake in CFI, according to Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera. The new phase would start with the state-owned company moving some locomotives, and consequently some services, to CFI. Job cuts are not excluded by Il Corriere, but job proposals in different segments of the Ferrovie dello Stato group are expected.
Compagnia Ferroviaria Italiana is one of the largest private operators in Italy and it is owned by Italy’s largest independent infrastructure fund manager F2i. In 2022, the company reached an 11 per cent market share in Italy, the same as Captrain Italy and the highest among private companies. In Italy the market is still dominated by the state-owned operator, which in 2022 was controlling 38 per cent of the market.