In recent years the rail freight traffic has suffered a decline, but there is no shortage of new prospects.
Intermodality, as we have already had the opportunity to explore, is an integrated, agile and advantageous handling method, also with regard to environmental impact. Unfortunately, currently, this modality continues to undergo a significant contraction, throughout Europe and in particular in Italy. According to the 2025 Annual Report presented by FerMerci to the Chamber of Deputies, 2024 marked a decrease of 4.8 per cent in terms of trains*km and 4.1 per cent in terms of tonnes*km compared to 2021.
But what are the causes of the problem?
On the one hand, the swelling of our rail network, due to the many active construction sites for renovations, safety adjustments and extensions, many of them financed with PNRR funds. On the other, there is a gap between labour supply and demand in the road transport sector, with an employment vacuum that inevitably also affects intermodality.
Despite the critical picture, we hope that 2026 will bring with it a reversal. Indeed, from next year onwards, with the completion of work on railway lines and the consequent, hopefully substantial, improvement in infrastructure, rail intermodality could grow again, also filling the shortage of drivers on the road.
It would also be an important upgrade for environmental sustainability: by transferring goods from road to rail, it is possible to significantly reduce both CO2 emissions and noise pollution. Suffice it to say that a single freight train could replace up to 50 trucks, decongesting motorway traffic and significantly reducing fuel consumption. We, and not only we, believe that this transport system is more energy efficient, but above all it contributes to improving air quality and reducing the overall environmental impact of the logistics sector.
In the meantime, with a view to modernity and constant innovation, Lanzi has chosen to invest in complete intermodality: thanks to our Reach Staker we can move containers, swap bodies and semi-trailers. For an increasingly functional and sustainable approach to freight transport.
