TRIESTE – Autostrada del Brennero has become the second largest rail freight operator in Italy. With the acquisition of 75% of InRail spa, the Autobrennero group follows in importance only Mercitalia Logistics, the company belonging to the Ferrovie dello Stato Group.
The majority shares of the railway company that operates both in our country and towards those of the border have been obtained thanks to a capital increase of the subsidiary STR spa, deliberated after the proposal by the CEO Diego Cattoni. The parent company’s board has decided in recent days, and, from now on, Autostrada del Brennero enters InRail spa together with RTC spa and Lokomotion Gmbh. Two companies in which Autobrennero is already present. The expansion comes 20 years after the departure of the first freight train: «The integration between road and rail is the future of mobility – said Diego Cattoni – always in the direction of strengthening the first Italian connection with the rest of Europe: the Brenner corridor». This operation is of historical importance, making the only motorway concessionaire dealing with long-distance rail freight an even stronger player at the national level. In addition, the movement of almost 800 trucks and lorries from the freeway to the railway tracks reduces CO2 production by more or less 160,000 tonnes per year: an important contribution to the surrounding environment. These kinds of actions are «one of the pillars of our ambitious Green Corridor project», concludes CEO Cattoni.
InRail spa currently employs more than 120 people and moves 150 trains a week: the Brenner route connects German and Italian manufacturers, and the target market is constantly expanding. InRail, a railway company, founded in 2009, has offices in Genoa, Udine and Nova Gorica (Slovenia) and operates services for all types of goods in Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. InRail has recently activated a rail service between Croatia and France.
Thanks also to the renewed strength of the Italian ports, an increase in traffic volumes is already expected, which the rail operator Autostrada del Brennero is ready to intercept.