MILAN, Oct 15 (Reuters) – U.S.-based Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) is in exploratory talks with the owners of Italian shipping group MSC for a possible investment in GIP’s railway operator Italo, Il Sole 24 Ore reported on Saturday.
The infrastructure fund bought Italo, which runs the popular Rome-Milan route among others, back in 2018 but talks of a possible sale of the high-speed rail operator have emerged in recent months.
An MSC spokesperson said the company did not comment on media speculation, while GIP did not immediately reply to an email request for comment.
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According to the paper, which cites “financial rumours”, GIP is considering the creation of an investment vehicle in which the fund could reinvest half of the resources while the other half would be borne by MSC, controlled by the Aponte family.
A potential deal could see Italo expand in the freight transport sector, but the feasibility and growth potential of such an endeavour was still being analysed, the paper added.
Sources have previously told Reuters that GIP was interested in selling Italo, but the plan had been put on hold because of market turbulence on the back of the Ukraine war and the government change in Italy following elections on Sept. 25.
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Reporting by Agnieszka Flak; editing by Clelia Oziel
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