FS and Amazon allies for the transport of goods between Germany and Italy

The key points

• Two new connections
• Pact in the name of sustainability

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Il logistics hub of the Italian Fs Group (the lead company is Mercitalia Logistics) e Amazonthe American giant ofe-commercehave signed an agreement to transport goods between Amazon distribution centers in Germany and Italy. The agreement aims to reduce international road freight traffic (trucks), reducing both CO2 emissions be it congestions on the main European arteries. The project also allows Amazon to optimize inventory management and reduce delivery times.

FS and Amazon together for sustainable logistics

Two new connections

The FS Group program includes three trains a week from Duisburg to Pomezia (Rome), operated by Mercitalia Intermodal and six round trips between Herne e Verona, managed by Tx Logistik, the German company of the Fs Group. The trains have been in circulation for a few weeks already. According to an estimate by the FS logistics hub, these routes, working at full capacity, will contribute to subtracting up to 9 thousand tons of carbon emissions compared to international road transport. The Duisburg-Pomezia (1,722 kilometres) and Herne-Verona (1,160 kilometres) routes represent a strategic connection for Fs logistics, uniting two of the most important logistics hubs in Germany with Northern and Central Italy.

Pact in the name of sustainability

Explains Sabrina De Filippis, CEO of Mercitalia Logistics: «Rail connections to and from Germany are part of our strategic plan, in line with the European objective of having 30% of goods travel by train by 2030. We are committed to adopting technologies advanced, such as the automatic digital coupling of freight carriages or the digitalisation of warehouses, which help reduce emissions associated with logistics operations whilst still guaranteeing a high quality service. In 2022, thanks to our integrated sustainable logistics model, we were able to avoid emissions of serra gas for regarding 1.8 million tons».

Per Lorenzo BarboCEO of Amazon Italia Logistica, «given the particular geographical conformity of the territory and the connections we have across the Alps, Italy lends itself to being one of the main countries in which we can delve deeper into the benefits and opportunities deriving from growth of the railway intermodal. We are working as a company to explore new, more efficient delivery methods and rail is one of these. The agreement signed in 2021 between Amazon and Mercitalia was a first and important step that contributed to improving delivery times for our customers and reducing CO2 emissions.”

The development of the cargo sector is strategic for the FS Group. He underlines it Luigi Ferraris, CEO of Fs Italiane: «In the last three years we have worked a lot on the logistics hub, an activity that in the past had been somewhat neglected and which has now become central once more, also in the interest of the country. The FS industrial plan envisages approximately 10 years 3 billion in investments in the logistics hubbetween renewal of rolling stock, creation of new terminals and strengthening of existing ones and development of digital activities”.