Memorandum of Cooperation between Greece and Italy or the upgrade of trains

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis signed a memorandum of cooperation for the upgrade of passenger rail transport in Greece.

Under the agreement, the Greek Ministry of Transport and the Italian state-owned group Ferrovie dello Stato (owner of Hellenic Train) will invest a total of €360 million for the purchase of 23 trains (8 intercity and 15 suburban) and the development of modern depots for their long-term maintenance. The expected delivery date is early 2027.

On the Greek side, €450 million will be invested to upgrade the railway network, repair damage caused by Storm Daniel, and install security systems such as the non-functional ETCS. The projects are expected to be completed within 15 months, by the summer of 2026.

Mitsotakis and Meloni also discussed immigration, with the Greek Prime Minister stating that “Greece has found its strongest ally.”

Regarding the ETCS (the automatic braking system for trains, which reduces the likelihood of human error), it must be installed both on OSE’s infrastructure and on Hellenic Train’s trains in order to function.

In addition to signing the memorandum, Meloni and Mitsotakis discussed the agreements between Ankara and Rome, and a series of agreements were signed, with the most significant being the memorandum of understanding between ADMIE and Italy’s network operator, Terna, for upgrading the electrical interconnection between the two countries.