Paolo Uggè, the national president of Fai-Conftrasporto, calls for fast corridors in Italian ports to expedite the transfer of goods from ships to trucks or trains, offering a strategic alternative to the traditional maritime routes.
“The Red Sea crisis requires the search for alternatives by land or rail to transport goods to northern European countries,” he notes.
The proposed intermodal solution aims to link the maritime sector with road transport by creating high-speed corridors in Italian ports. Uggè recommends a system that uses the functionality of Italian ports to significantly reduce transit times, ensuring that goods can reach northern European countries in just 3-4 days, as opposed to the 7-8 days required to circumnavigate Gibraltar.
However, Uggè says that the lorry restrictions imposed by Austria on the Brenner Pass are hampering the success of these corridors. He is calling for a temporary suspension of these bans.
In a plea to the Italian government, Uggè urges the EU Commission to take immediate action to eliminate all obstacles to crossing the Alpine arc:
“The Government asks the EU Commission to immediately eliminate all obstacles to crossing the Alpine arc to allow, in this moment of difficulty, with all the implications entailed by the situation in the Red Sea, the circulation of goods in alternative ways.”
Photo credits @ Flickr/Europe Roads via CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DEED