Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane

Greece has pushed back the deadline for the submission of binding bids for its railway maintenance company ROSCO by three months, its privatization agency HRADF said on Monday.

Greece has received two expressions of interest for the purchase of ROSCO, from Italy's Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane and Czech trainmaker Skoda Transportation.

Italian railway company Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane attributes great significance to the acquisition of 100 percent of Greek operator Trainose, while there will be changes in the operation mode of the local railway company now it is moving away from the state's control.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (right) and his Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni observe as Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane SpA CEO Renato Mazzoncini and the president of Greece's state sell-off fund (TAIPED), Lila Tsitsoyiannopoulou, sign a memorandum sealing the sale of railway service operator Trainose to the Italian company, in the context of the 1st Intergovernmental Congress of Greec

Greece has agreed to sell its railways company to Italy's own state-owned operator for 45 million euros ($54 million) as part of its privatization drive.

Greek railway workers started a 24-hour strike and stopped the movement of all trains, the Bulgarian National Radio reported.

They protest against the privatization of the railway operator. The trade unions insist on terminating the transfer of the Greek railway company "Transez" to the Italian state operator.

The final obstacle to the sale of railway operator Trainose was lifted on Tuesday with the publication in the Government Gazette of the decision for writing off the state subsidies to the company.

It is therefore likely that the protocol for implementing the concession of the company to Italy's Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane will be signed on Thursday.

Trains in Greece were temporarily stopped on the Thessaloniki-Athens railway route after a train derailed near Larissa, central Greece, around 8.30 on Thursday. It is not clear what caused the accident. There is no information about injuries and damages.

Railway operator TRAINOSE says all services have been restored, Bulgarian news agency reported.

Services were temporarily suspended on part of the Thessaloniki-Athens rail network after a train derailed near Larissa, in central Greece, around 8.30 a.m. on Thursday.

It was not clear what caused the accident, which caused no injuries.

Railway operator TRAINOSE said that all services have been restored.

Next week will likely see the conclusion of the sale of railway service operator Trainose, while the contract for the sale of 67 percent of Thessaloniki Port Authority (OLTH) has been put off until September.

Athens and Rome are waiting for the settlement of the issue of Trainose's state support before it is transferred to Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, but the issue of the subsidized routes also remains unresolved threatening the signing of the contract with the Italians with new delays.