TRIESTE – The Emilia-Romagna Region has renewed the Er.i.c. Protocol to strengthen the regional logistics system and has announced new incentives for rail freight transport.
The Region, the Port System Authority for the Central-Northern Adriatic Sea, freight villages, and the main regional logistics operators have signed the new Er.i.c. Protocol (Emilia-Romagna Intermodal Cluster), the coordination framework established in 2018 to develop the region’s intermodal system in an integrated manner.
Among the key new developments in the agreement is the inclusion of FS Logistix, a company within the Ferrovie dello Stato Group specializing in freight transport and integrated logistics, which broadens the cluster’s representation and strengthens dialogue on future development policies for the sector.
The Er.i.c. system is currently the leading player in rail freight transport in Emilia-Romagna. In 2025, it handled over 18 million metric tons of freight, accounting for approximately 95% of the region’s total rail freight traffic.
The agreement reaffirms the goal of strengthening collaboration between the Port of Ravenna, the freight villages, the rail terminals, and the Emilia-Romagna manufacturing sector, with a focus on intermodality, technological innovation, digitalization, sustainability, training, and internationalization.
At the same time, the Region announced the imminent publication of two calls for proposals totaling approximately 1.65 million euros, as provided for by the new regional law on logistics and intermodality.
The first initiative, worth 1.3 million euros, constitutes the initial funding for a 4.1-million-euro multi-year program aimed at supporting rail freight transport and promoting the shift of traffic from road to rail. The second call for proposals, worth 350,000 euros, is part of a 1.4-million-euro program and will be allocated to the “track discount” on the regional rail network managed by Fer, with the goal of reducing the cost of using the rail infrastructure for operators.
According to Irene Priolo, the regional councilor for Mobility and Transportation, the renewal of the agreement reaffirms the commitment to strengthening integration among the Port of Ravenna, freight terminals, and businesses through concrete measures designed to make freight transport more efficient, competitive, and sustainable.
Fhp Intermodal, Interporto Bologna, Dinazzano Po, Terminal Rubiera, Lugo Terminal, Sapir, Cepim, and Terminal Piacenza Intermodale have also signed the protocol . In the coming years, the Er.i.c. Cluster will continue to develop initiatives in international promotion, professional training, research, and analysis of the logistics sector, with a particular focus on identifying bottlenecks in the rail network, technological innovation, the digitization of terminals, and environmental sustainability.
