The railway cargo raises the alarm: traffic at risk with the Pnrr shipyards

The key points

• Traffic trends in Italy
• The impact of the Pnrr construction sites

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Il rail transport of goodsi fight for to survive. In Italy, railway cargo is characterized by traffic volumes that differ significantly from the European average, with a modal share of 12,7%in stark contrast to the 22.7% of the EU average. This is stated by Fermerci annual report 2024 (association representing some of the major freight railway companies in Italy). The study, which Il Sole 24 Ore is able to anticipate, will be presented Tuesday 9 April in Rome at Senate of the Republic.

2023 ended with a traffic figure of 51.7 million train-km, recording a decrease by 4% compared to 2022. The decline is the result of numerous critical issues, many of which will continue into 2024. Among the main causes of the crisis, the report highlights: the complete interruption of the Frejus railway tunnel between France and Italy; the partial limitation of Gotthard tunnel in Switzerland; the impacts on railway traffic floods which affected Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany.

The critical issues, however, were not only recorded along the land tracks: trains arriving and departing from the ports also suffered a negative sign compared to 2022 and this figure might further worsen due to the Suez Canal crisis. Added to all this is the effect Pnrr construction siteswhich are around 4 thousand, with a consequent reduction in the use of numerous railway lines.

The president of Fermerci, Clemente Cartalaunches an appeal to the government: «Rail freight transport is in the midst of a infrastructural transition to allow Pnrr works on the national railway network. Until the works are completed, we ask that a complementary fund to allow rail freight transport operators, the most damaged in the entire sector, to reach 2026″.

The impact of the Pnrr construction sites

Giuseppe Rizzigeneral director of Fermerci, elaborates on the issue: «The sector most affected by the railway interruptions due to the Pnrr construction sites is the transport of goods due to the works mainly nocturnal on the network, with a general benefit for the entire system. During 2024 approximately 60% of railway lines will be interrupted, resulting in deviations or cancellations of itineraries. This situation causes, for every year that passes until the completion of the Pnrr works expected in 2026, an inevitable loss of competitiveness of rail transport compared to other modes of transport”.