Shuttle Project

Following an agreement among CePIM, the port of La Spezia and the Quadrante Europa freight village in Verona, the project complies with the European reference guidelines for the integrated development of the freight infrastructure network.
The “Shuttle project” is based on the will to increase the freight flows along the Tyrrhenian-Brenner line and develop its main hubs. La Spezia, Parma and Verona are all located along the Ty-Bre corridor – which is being strengthened today – leading to the heart of Europe. It crosses the TEN 1 corridor, connects the relevant territories with the European markets  and provides direct access to the Mediterranean sea on one hand and the Northern and Eastern European routes on the other.
Greater competitiveness of the territories crossed by the road and railway network, the connection of transport systems and logistic centres in La Spezia, Parma and Verona, sustainable development to the benefit of the areas concerned by decreasing heavy goods vehicle traffic on roads and railways are some of the key elements of the agreement having the ambitious goal of developing the railway transport of goods stored in containers passing through the La Spezia port on their way to Northern Europe.

More specifically, the project envisages scheduled trains leaving the port of La Spezia and heading for Parma and Verona, where handling, storage and distribution activities may be complemented by additional processing, with positive repercussions on the employment rates, economic development, flexibility of services and reduction of freight costs. The availability of flexible and effective services in three intermodal centres contributes to the attraction of logistic facilities connected to quasi-manufacturing operations involving products arriving in/leaving Italy.

The Parma freight village is a candidate for the role as logistic backbone of La Spezia, by distributing containers between the connecting railway lines (Bologna-Milan and Verona-Padua) and contributing to the solution of the problems in Genoa, also by capturing the traffic from northern Tuscany with positive repercussions in terms of effectiveness and cost reduction.

The integration of the port with the freight village is not only and innovative infrastructure but is aimed at developing an organic and integrated service network. For example, the implementation of advanced ICT systems may lead to the integrated and parallel use of the port hub in La Spezia, the railway terminal in S. Stefano Magra and the freight village in Parma to ensure the best management of empty and full containers.
Train consists may be determined by taking into account the necessary maximisation of the train staff employed in shuttle services, the locomotives used in consists, the available cars and the overall needs in terms of weight (balancing empty and full containers and containers with different weights).