City operators to merge

ITALY: Milano's ATM and GTT of Torino have announced plans to merge. The intention is to create a public transport operating business better placed to compete on the international stage with British and French rivals.

The group would become Europe's ninth largest transport undertaking by revenue, but Elio Catania, President of ATM, told the Financial Times that separate subsidiaries would be created to manage the Milano and Torino transport systems independently. However the new company is expected to introduce a more integrated fare structure for services linking the two cities.

ATM has been operating the København metro since the start of the year (RG 1.08 p11), and is also bidding for contracts in Stockholm and Miami.