“Italo”, characterized by high operational performance, has significant growth potential in the context of increasing demand for sustainable mobility solutions. This investment is strategically important for diversifying SOFAZ’s investment portfolio by making investments in sustainable infrastructure assets as a long-term investor.
The State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) has invested 34.5 million euro in Italy's leading high-speed railway operator "Italo – Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori S.p.A. (Italo)" by joining an investment fund managed by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), which is part of the US BlackRock company, a source in the fund told Trend.
"Italo", established in 2012, is one of the leading companies in the sector as the first private high-speed passenger railway operator in Italy. The company operates on routes covering 54 cities in Italy, including the Milan-Rome corridor, with a fleet of "25 AGV 575" and "26 Italo EVO" trains capable of reaching speeds of up to 360 km/h.
In 2024, the "MSC" global container transportation company acquired approximately 50 percent of "Italo's" shares from "GIP". The remaining 50 percent is owned by GIP, joint investors, and funds managed by GIP, which include SOFAZ.
"Italo", characterized by high operational performance, has significant growth potential in the context of increasing demand for sustainable mobility solutions. This investment is strategically important for diversifying SOFAZ’s investment portfolio by making investments in sustainable infrastructure assets as a long-term investor.