FS Group and Certares have signed a strategic partnership aimed at supporting the development of international high-speed rail services in Europe.
The agreement was announced in Paris on 29 December 2025 and provides for the creation of a joint venture alongside a targeted investment in Trenitalia France.
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© FS Group
The partnership is intended to strengthen FS Group’s international high-speed rail activities, with an initial focus on Trenitalia France. It also seeks to support the commercial distribution of rail services and underpin an investment programme of around 1 billion EUR across France and the United Kingdom.
Trenitalia France, which will host the joint venture’s regional headquarters in Paris, currently operates high-speed passenger services on the Paris–Lyon and Paris–Marseille routes, as well as the cross-border Paris–Milan service. Since launching operations, the company has carried more than 4.7 million passengers. It plans to expand its network further, including proposed entry onto the Paris–London corridor and additional cross-border routes.
Under the terms of the partnership, Trenitalia France intends to use the new investment to support growth in France, the UK and other European markets. Planned measures include expanding its fleet to at least 19 trainsets, developing a new maintenance facility near Paris on a recently awarded site, and increasing service frequencies on existing routes, including up to 28 daily services on the Paris–Lyon line.
The programme also includes the creation of several hundred new roles and continued investment in technology, branding and marketing. Entry onto the Paris–London route is targeted for 2029.
The partnership is designed to support wider adoption of rail travel for both business and leisure journeys, taking advantage of ongoing liberalisation of the European rail market. Trenitalia France is expected to work with Certares’ portfolio companies to support corporate customers who are increasingly considering high-speed rail as an alternative to air travel. The partners also plan to develop rail-inclusive travel products for leisure markets, including integrated booking and packaging tools.
The partnership supports the FS Group 2025–2029 Strategic Plan, which emphasises international growth through collaboration with financial and industrial partners.
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