Rail automation live in Australia
NewsQube commenced “normal automated operations” at the import/export terminal (IMEX) of the new Moorebank rail facility near Sydney in May and June this year.
Financing in place for Milano Smistamento
A giant new intermodal terminal in Milan should be a decisive step for modal shift of transalpine freight via Switzerland; Austria’s Rail Cargo Group increases services in the Veneto
The Swiss government has released a financial package of €67.5M towards the development of a new intermodal terminal at Milano Smistamento, the largest rail marshalling yard in Italy. The existing intermodal terminal nearby at Milan Segrate is operated by Terminali Italia Srl, a company belonging to RFI, the Italian rail track authority.
The Smistamento project is being taken forward by TerALP, a joint venture of Hupac and Mercitalia Logistics (Gruppo FS), in which the majority stake is held by the Swiss company.
The unblocking of Swiss government support follows a high level meeting in Rome of Luigi Ferraris (Managing Director, FS Group), Carlo Palasciano (Chief International Officer and president of Mercitalia Logistics, Gianpiero Strisicuglio (Managing Director, Mercitalia Logistics), Bernhard Kunz (CEO, Hupac Group and President of TerALP), Benedetta Masciari (CFO, Hupac)) and Piero Solcà (TerALP’s Legal Counsel).
The new intermodal terminal at Milano Smistamento will occupy an area of 240,000 m2 and will host 15 x 740m long full train length tracks worked primarily by six electric RMGs, with back-up from reach stackers, container stacking yards, parking areas for swap bodies and trailers, a workshop, spare parts warehouse, offices, etc.
The facility will take three years to build. At regime, it will be able to handle 22 trains in and 22 trains out every day, with an annual throughput capacity of 395,000 UTI (at least 790,000 TEU equivalent). The complete investment is worth €108.5M.
The project falls within the ambit of Gruppo FS’s latest Business Plan aimed at increasing modal shift to meet the 2030 target of 30% rail share of overland transport.
Official Swiss funding for rail projects in Italy are obviously aimed at reducing trucking in and through Switzerland for bilateral and transalpine through freight. Rail terminals in Brescia and Piacenza have received funding in the past.
- Separately in Italy, Rail Cargo Group, part of Austrian Railways (ÖBB), has extended its TransNET network over Villach (close to the borders of Italy and Slovenia) by adding a weekly service for conventional wagons to Treviso, in the Veneto region. Treviso is an important hub for rail traffic between northern and southern Europe. On request the service can be extended to Frosinone, south east of Rome. First and last mile services are also available from Rail Cargo.
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