Polo Logistica and Amazon Team Up to Shift Freight from Road to Rail

• The FS Group operates 15 trains per week between Germany and Italy, with the ability to reduce long-distance traffic and road congestion by shifting goods from road to rail.
• According to an estimate by the Logistics Hub, the routes from Duisburg to Pomezia and from Herne to Verona, operating at full capacity, help avoid up to 9,000 tons of CO₂ emissions per year compared to international road transport.

 

Rome, 5 April 2024 – The logistics sector continues to work towards streamlining operations and reducing CO₂ emissions through the use of rail transport. The FS Italiane Group Logistics Hub and Amazon have signed an agreement to transport goods between Amazon’s distribution centers in Germany and Italy.

 

The goal of this new agreement is to reduce international freight traffic on the roads, cutting both CO₂ emissions and congestion on major European highways. The project also allows Amazon to optimize inventory management and reduce delivery times, thereby improving the customer experience.

 

The FS Group’s program includes three weekly trains from Duisburg to Pomezia, operated by Mercitalia Intermodal, and six round trips between Herne and Verona, managed by TX Logistik. According to an estimate by the Polo Logistica, these routes, running at full capacity, will help avoid up to 9,000 tons of carbon emissions per year compared to international road transport.

 

“This agreement with Amazon demonstrates the FS Group Logistics Hub’s commitment to providing more sustainable transport solutions for partner companies. The rail links to and from Germany are part of our strategic plan, aligned with the European objective of shifting 30% of freight to rail by 2030,” said Sabrina De Filippis, CEO of Mercitalia Logistics. “We are constantly working to adopt advanced technologies in our initiatives, such as digital automatic coupling of freight wagons and warehouse digitalization, which help reduce emissions related to logistics operations while maintaining a high-quality service. In 2022, thanks to our integrated sustainable logistics model, we were able to avoid approximately 1.8 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions across our operations.”

 

“Given the geographic layout of our territory and the connections we have through the Alps, Italy is well-positioned to explore the benefits and opportunities of growing the rail intermodal sector,” commented Lorenzo Barbo, CEO of Amazon Italy Logistics. “Expanding our partnership with Mercitalia enables us to further develop sustainable intermodal operations and increase rail use for freight transport between our European sites. With our usual focus on innovation, including in intermodal transport, we are working as a company to explore new, more efficient delivery methods, and rail is one of them. The agreement signed in 2021 between Amazon and Mercitalia was an important first step that helped improve delivery times for our customers while reducing CO₂ emissions.”

 

The Duisburg–Pomezia and Herne–Verona routes represent a strategic connection for the Polo Logistica, linking two of Germany’s most important logistics hubs with central and northern Italy.