Mitsotakis–Meloni: Italy to Invest €360M in Greek Trains and Depots

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Rome on Monday, where he met with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni. The meeting concluded with the signing of multiple bilateral agreements, notably in the areas of energy and rail transport, as reported in joint statements from the two leaders.

“We did not have a formal diplomatic meeting, but a truly substantive opportunity to coordinate our steps at all levels with great enthusiasm,” stated Mitsotakis, stating that their discussions that included migration, security, energy, and the climate crisis.

Meloni echoed the sentiment, stating, “Today’s meeting is a real opportunity to coordinate our steps at all levels with passion and not just a formality,” she said.

A key outcome of the summit was a Memorandum of Understanding between Greece’s Independent Power Transmission Operator and Italy’s grid operator TERNA, aimed at tripling the electricity interconnection capacity between the two countries from 500 MW to 1,500 MW.

“We want to triple the interconnection, which is of great importance. Greece is an electricity exporting country,” Mitsotakis stated. “The direction we are giving to TERNA and IPTO is to proceed as soon as possible with the implementation of the project.”

In parallel, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between Greece’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and Italy’s state-owned railway group, Ferrovie dello Stato, which owns Hellenic Train. The deal aims to upgrade passenger rail services in Greece and includes a commitment from the Italian company to invest €360 million.

The investment will fund the acquisition of 23 new trains—eight Intercity express and 15 suburban—as well as the development of modern maintenance depots. These commitments will be formalized in a revised contract between the Ministry and Hellenic Train, which will include new scheduling and service obligations.

“The multitude of agreements we have signed indicates the need to meet much more regularly. They reflect the will to expand our cooperation at every level,” Mitsotakis stated.

The energy and rail memoranda were part of a broader package of 12 agreements and 2 additional memoranda signed under the framework of the bilateral cooperation council. Full details were outlined in a Joint Declaration issued by the two leaders following their meeting.