The Italian train operator Italo has appointed former railway manager Marc Giesen to lead its entry into the German market. The company announced on Thursday that Giesen will be responsible for organizing the operational setup, train operations, staffing, and customer service for Italo’s German business. Giesen has a long history in the railway sector, having held various senior positions within the rail conglomerate for over two decades since the late 1990s. Formally, he will head Italo’s subsidiary, Atrium.
Additionally, Eva Kreienkamp, who has been with Italo since last year, was promoted. She is set to act as the CEO of the subsidiary Mainsee, overseeing the German fleet of Italo trains.
Italo plans to launch services in Germany by mid-2028, intending to provide significant competition to the Deutsche Bahn. The company aims to connect 19 cities across a 1,600-kilometer network, running 50 daily routes along two primary thoroughfares: Munich-Cologne-Dortmund and Munich-Berlin-Hamburg. Earlier this summer, Italo announced total investments of 3.6 billion Euros to facilitate this expansion. A major component of this plan is a contract with Siemens Mobility, valued at approximately 3 billion Euros, covering the delivery of 26 high-speed Siemens Velaro trains.
