Kirkland Advises Italo on Market Entry in Germany

Kirkland & Ellis has advised Italo Holding (Italo) and its shareholders, Mediterranean Shipping Company and Global Infrastructure Partners (a part of BlackRock), in connection with the company’s expansion into Germany with a total investment of €3.6 billion.

Italo has signed an agreement with Siemens Mobility for the purchase of 26 eight-car Velaro Multi System high-speed trains (with an option for 14 additional train sets), to be deployed on Germany’s high-speed rail network, and 30-years of maintenance. The total investment covers the purchase of the trains, the recruitment and training of approximately 2,500 employees across operations and related industries and investments in stations and IT infrastructure.

Headquartered in Rome, Italo is a high-speed rail operator that currently connects 50 major cities in Italy, offering access to 57 stations and ensuring a fast and convenient travel experience. From mid-2028, Italo Germany will operate along two main corridors: Munich-Cologne-Dortmund and Munich-Berlin-Hamburg, serving 18 cities across a 1,300-kilometer network with a total of 50 daily services.

Read the transaction press release

The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Tobias Larisch, Friedrich von der Heydt-von Kalckreuth and Jasper Wentz.