EUROPE: Italian state operator Trenitalia has acquired sole control of German regional passenger and freight operator Netinera Deutschland though the €118m purchase of the 49% stake held by Luxembourg-based infrastucture investor Cube Transport.
Trenitalia’s announcement on December 3 followed the receipt of European Commission clearance for the acquisition at the end of November. The transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure, with the Commission concluding that it raised no competition concerns because of the limited impact on the market.
Netinera operates contracted regional rail and bus services in Germany and to a lesser extent in the Czech Republic. It was formed in 2010, when a consortium of FS Group and Cube Infrastructure was selected to take over Arriva’s activities in Germany which Deutsche Bahn was required to divest in order to obtain regulatory approval for its acquisition of the UK-based international transport operating group.
Cube Infrastructure declined to comment.
