It will be operated by the Magli Intermodal Service Group (MIS Group) in collaboration with the PSA Italy Vecon-PSA Venice container terminal and GME Metals, a leading company operating in the iron and steel sector mainly through the supply of ferroalloys.

After an initial test phase in recent weeks, the operation of the rail link between the docks of the Vecon-PSA Venice terminal in Marghera and the intermodal terminal of Montirone in the province of Brescia, one of the main nodes on which the MIS Group operates for the development of its MTO (Multimodal Transport Operator) services, has been consolidated.
The train will consist of 23 60-foot wagons with a loading capacity of 46 containers.
 
This new solution starts with a programme of 50 round trip trains per year with a strong commitment of all the actors involved to increase the frequency of the service by intercepting other containerised cargoes that need a reliable and fast connection to one of the most important economic districts in Northern Italy and beyond. In fact, thanks to the active connection between Montirone and Rotterdam, also operated by the MIS group with SBB traction, the customers of this new service will also be able to extend the reference market as far as Benelux and the UK, saving time and co2 emissions compared to the transit time of services to and from the East that transit via Suez and continue beyond Gibraltar to Northern Europe, the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia.
 

For both Montirone and international traffic, MIS can also offer last-mile transport services thanks to its own fleet of over 140 trucks with more than 160 semi-trailers.

‘We are extremely satisfied with this partnership with MIS - adds Daniele Marchiori, General Manager of PSA VENICE-Vecon. - One of Vecon-PSA Venice's business objectives is to ensure a sustainable supply chain: why transport 40 containers by truck from the Port of Venice to Brescia when you can do a block train? It means lower CO2 emissions, greater safety on the roads and certainty of transit times. The know-how of our people allows us to increase the value chain through optimized and sustainable logistics operations.’

‘Our goal is to accompany customers in their modal shift and sustainability performance improvement projects by exploiting skills and assets that we have built up over time and that we want to further develop for the benefit of a supply chain that can count on regular and competitive rail transpor,’ said Paolo Magli, president of the MIS group. ‘We are grateful for the trust that GME Metals has placed in us and we are certain that together with our partner Vecon-PSA Venice we will be able to further develop the frequency of the service by intercepting additional volumes of containerised cargo, extending the range of action of the port of Venice.’

'We have realised with MIS, our logistics partner for years, this idea of transport by rail because we believe that eco-sustainability has become a priority that must push us all to review our production and logistics processes. GME Metals is not shying away from the topic and has decided to do its part by reducing road transport. In fact, this is a path we started some time ago with delivery to customers via intermodal shipments, especially to German-speaking countries. Now we have decided to take this a step further by collecting material from the Port of Marghera by train to be stored in our warehouses. So a new warehouse was chosen in Montirone opposite the dry port that MIS operates. After the first trials, we are confident that this is the way forward. Europe is asking us to reduce CO2 emissions, and our customers (steel mills and iron foundries located throughout Europe) must act accordingly; we are doing our part by choosing suppliers that meet this need and by using rail transport as much as possible to have ferroalloys with the lowest possible carbon footprint,' said Andrea Quaresmini, CEO of GME Metals.

‘We are extremely satisfied with this partnership with MIS - adds Daniele Marchiori, General Manager of PSA VENICE-Vecon. - One of Vecon-PSA Venice's business objectives is to ensure a sustainable supply chain: why transport 40 containers by truck from the Port of Venice to Brescia when you can do a block train? It means lower CO2 emissions, greater safety on the roads and certainty of transit times. The know-how of our people allows us to increase the value chain through optimized and sustainable logistics operations.’

‘The new service is confirmation that the strategy undertaken by AdSP MAS to enhance the railway mode is the right one - says the President of the North Adriatic Sea Port System Authority, Fulvio Lino Di Blasio – Over the years the railway mode in the Port of Venice has constantly grown and, if in 2023 we recorded a handling of over 2 million tonnes, from January to September 2024 we have already exceeded 1.6 million tonnes with an increase, compared to the same period of the previous year, of 6%. This is why the Authority, despite having to deal with international crises and infrastructural difficulties - first and foremost the temporary stops of the Brenner passes and especially Tarvisio, due to works undertaken by RFI to expand the capacity of the national rail network - intends to continue investing in the railway mode. Suffice it to think of the works already underway, such as the new railway bridge over the western canal, a EUR 24 million project that will allow the elimination of interferences and bottlenecks, also in favour of commercial terminals, or the works to rationalise traffic on Via dell'Elettricità, worth EUR 19 million, and the works planned in the near future, such as the resolution of the Via della Chimica junction for EUR 15 million and the intermodal platform, the design of which is expected to cost EUR 1.2 million. We are convinced that, also through these interventions, the Authority can contribute to increasing the environmental sustainability of the Port of Venice, bring the Veneto system closer to European transport standards, and guarantee greater logistical efficiency at the port, allowing sectors, such as containerised goods, to reach new markets and stimulate a decisive modal switch from road to rail'.