Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan
met Wednesday with Transport and Infrastructure Minister
Graziano Delrio and management from ANAS highways agency and
State-controlled rail company Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) to
explore merging the two firms.
This would give rise to "an infrastructure group with
international scope," the economy ministry said in a statement.
The two ministries and management have set up a working
group to "analyze economic opportunities (and) instruments and
mechanisms to guarantee ANAS' financial autonomy," the statement
said.
Last month, FS CEO Renato Mazzoncini signed a
three-billion-euro deal to build two high-speed rail lines in
Iran while on an official trip to the Islamic republic with
Premier Matteo Renzi and other business delegates.
Padoan said in January that partially privatizing FS is the
only way to "attack its serious shortcomings".
The government has said it plans to sell a stake of around
40% in FS, while retaining ownership of the national rail
network. The public train company reportedly employs 83,000
railwaymen, owns over 9,000 trains and manages 16,600 kilometers
of rail, moving 600 million people and 50 million tonnes of
goods a year.
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