Italian hauliers have had a tough end to the summer this year, with many of the main routes out of the country closed for longer or shorter periods.
The Frejus tunnel was closed for weeks at the end of August after a landslide, while the Gotthard tunnel was closed after a derailment in a freight tunnel. The latter was initially thought to take months to repair. On top of all this, there was the planned total closure of the Mont Blanc tunnel from September to December.
Fortunately, most of these difficulties have now been resolved since then in some shape or form. Both the Frejus and the Gotthard tunnels have been reopened (although the latter has a significant speed limit in place that makes the journey much longer), and most of the work on the Mont Blanc tunnel has been postponed until next year.
But the question remains: how can Italian hauliers cope with such a fragile logistical situation?
The secretary general of the Italian Foreign Trade Association, David Doninotti, told trans.iNFO that the new Italian government is aware of the problems and has many projects to improve infrastructure, but “everything in this country moves very slowly”.
“These closures are a serious problem for the exchange of goods between Italy and the centre-north of France. The rail link is poor and unsuitable for the dimensions of the current containers. The only alternative to the Frejus route is still the Mont Blanc tunnel,” Doninotti told trans.iNFO, putting the situation in a nutshell.
The Italian government is working to improve the rail connection between Italy and France. By doing so, reliance on the Frejus tunnel will be reduced. However, this will take time to complete. In the meantime, Italian exporters will need to find alternative routes for their goods.
Brenner Pass- taxes and restrictions
Another problem is the Brenner Pass, which is the main road and rail link between Italy and Austria.
The Austrian government has imposed a number of restrictions on HGV traffic at the Brenner Pass, including a night-time ban on HGVs over 7.5 tonnes and a limit on the number of HGVs that can travel through the pass on certain days.
These measures have caused significant disruption to lorry traffic on the Brenner Pass. HGVs are often forced to wait for hours or even days to cross the pass. This has led to delays in deliveries and increased costs for businesses.
Neighbouring countries, including Italy, have criticised the Austrian measures, arguing that they are disproportionate and in breach of EU law.
The Italian government has taken a number of steps to try to stop Austria from implementing these measures, including lodging a complaint with the European Commission and threatening legal action, but the Austrian government has so far refused to budge.
“The decision to double the size of the Brenner tunnel was taken to promote combined transport, but the Austrians are imposing taxes and restrictions on the huge volume of lorries that use it in transit to Germany. Negotiations are still on the table to avoid further restrictions,” Doninotti told trans.iNFO.
If these negotiations are unsuccessful, Italian exporters will need to factor in the additional costs and delays into their pricing and planning.
Despite these challenges, Doninotti is optimistic that Italian exporters will be able to maintain their position in the international markets.
He believes the Italian government is aware of the problems and is taking steps to address them but everything “moves very slowly in this country”, he says.
“The new government is presenting many projects to improve our infrastructure, but all projects in this country go slowly. The new Frejus tunnel is going ahead, but very, very slowly. The Swiss have a project to double the Gottard tunnel, the Brenner tunnel is also a project. The new Minister of Transport is presenting the project to connect Sicily to the mainland. The port of Genoa will have a better connection with our region of Lombardy and the northern countries, but all these projects will take many years.”