Renato Mazzoncini, CEO of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS) has announced key pillars of the new FS Group Business Plan within September 2016.
The 10 years plan (5+5) consists in the commitment for an integrated mobility (also through the new tech project ‘Traveling Companion’), the announced merger with ANAS, the restructuring of the Group’s freight business, the development of the international activities and the study of the IPO.
Under the integrated mobility for FS the increase in the local public transport will be a key factor of the new Business Plan, with the FS’ commitment to become the access point of the integrated mobility, as well to take the lead in case of inefficient management of the local public transport companies. With reference to a potential acquisition of ATAC, Renato Mazzoncini confirmed the interest and willingness to manage the company, but he emphasized that, currently, there is no discussion with the government of Rome.
‘Traveling companion’ is a new project for which FS is working on a new tech project, with the aim of making the railway group “the access point of the integrated mobility.”
A first step of this digital strategy has been the agreement between FS and Google Maps, the object of which is to find the travel information and the train schedules. According to Mazzoncini, “there is no intention of using this tool for the tickets’ purchase. We want to continue and strengthen our relationship with the customers.”
Regarding the merger with ANAS, in the last two months there was a task force to solve the issue related to the Anas’ remuneration mechanism, since the FS Group generates the 50% of its revenue from the market. “This task force worked in parallel on two different aspects. The first one to identify corporate synergies, and the second one to make sure that, after the merger with Anas, FS remain outside the public administration perimeter.”
Regarding the study of the IPO, in the Business Plan there will also be the identification of the company’s perimeter to list on the stock market. For this reason, the IPO will take place by following a different point of view than in the past. The top management assured that 2017 is the year to assess the IPO opportunities and that there will not be spin-off of the Group’s assets.
For the development of the international activities, at the end of April there was a green light from the European Union to the fourth railway package which aims to create a single European railway area. Because of it “we are identifying partnerships in other countries. We have an interest in the Paris-Brussels line”, said Mazzoncini, by mentioning the recent trilateral agreement to achieve, at the end of 2017, the Milan-Zurich-Frankfurt line. “Our purpose”, he concluded, “is to establish European connections and to be a European operator”.
This is part of an international expansion that include the acquisition of Trainose, the Greek passenger and freight rail transport company which is under privatization by the Greek government. In this case the signing is expected at the end of September while in January 1st, 2017, there will be the shares transfer”.
Futhermore Trenitalia, in consortium with a local transport company, is going to take part in the UK rail franchise tender, for the Intercity West Coast franchise (a line between London and Edinburgh).
In addition, FS’s CEO and Russia Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkocich discussed about the cooperation between the Italian and Russian Railways, by signing a MoU. Under the MoU, both sides will joint construct and modernise the railway infrastructure, in addition to the products and services provision for logistics and transport of freight and passengers. The agreement also provides the cooperation in the construction of Russian high-speed lines, as well as joint projects for the achievement of new railway infrastructures in other countries.
Similar cooperation agreements have been reached with the Japanese Railways.
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