Italy will invest €360 million to modernise Greece’s passenger rail services under a new cooperation deal, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced during a visit to Rome on Monday.
The funding, provided by Italy’s state-owned railway operator Ferrovie dello Stato, will support the purchase of 23 new trains—eight high-speed and 15 suburban—and the construction of modern maintenance facilities. Ferrovie owns Greece’s Hellenic Train, the country’s main rail operator.
The commitment follows a memorandum of cooperation signed during a bilateral summit and will be formalised in a revised contract between Greece’s transport ministry and Hellenic Train. The first deliveries are expected by early 2027, pending production timelines.
“This is a particularly important agreement,” Mitsotakis said, thanking Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for her support. He added that bilateral ties had strengthened since the 2023 Tempe train disaster, which killed 57 people and exposed serious safety gaps in Greece’s rail system.
While Italy supplies rolling stock, Greece is investing over €400 million to repair and upgrade infrastructure damaged by extreme weather, including Storm Daniel. Projects include the installation of the European Train Control System (ETCS), aimed at preventing collisions by automatically halting trains on the same track.
Contracts for key repair works—such as the Domokos-Krannonas and Paleofarsalos-Kalambaka segments—were signed recently. The €450 million in upgrades must be completed by mid-2026 to meet EU Recovery Fund deadlines.
Installation of the ETCS is ongoing, with Hitachi retrofitting 115 trains. Full deployment depends on both infrastructure readiness and train-side technology.
The cooperation also covers delayed but strategic projects like the Sepolia rail underpass in Athens, seen as vital for restoring network reliability. These guarantees were key to securing Italy’s investment, officials said.
The move comes nearly two years after the Tempe crash, as Athens seeks to rebuild public trust in rail travel and improve safety across its network.
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