The new Traxx Universal™ DC locomotives from Logistics Center of the FS Group are operational from today between Campania and the port of Gioia Tauro.
Delivered on Monday 6 May by Alstom to Mercitalia Rail, they are equipped with Ultimo Miglio technology: an innovative element that allows the train to be connected to non-electrified areas without the aid of shunting locomotives, characterized by high levels of energy efficiency and reliability. For the FS Group Logistics Hub this is a further step forward in the renewal of the fleet, to make rail transport increasingly sustainable and efficient.
The services are part of Mercitalia Rail’s offer to support the automotive sector, which in 2023 saw over 2,700 dedicated trains, with an increase of 10% on 2022, for a total of approximately 300 thousand cars. Each connection allows the transport of approximately 200 nationally produced cars, from Campania to the Calabrian port where, through the services of the Grimaldi Group, they will leave for export to the United States. Precisely for these characteristics, their use was envisaged for connections to and from the port of Gioia Tauro, to support the import/export of the Italian automotive sector.
«Thanks to the placing of these new locomotives on the tracks we are giving a qualitative change to the services offered in the port of Gioia Tauro – declared Sabrina De Filippis, CEO of Mercitalia Logistics – The innovative Traxx Universal DC with Last Mile module represent an important step forward for the rail-sea integration also foreseen by the industrial plan of the Logistics Centre. A fundamental combination to increase the share of intermodal traffic of goods through a sustainable and highly efficient transport network, to support the economies of the south and Italian import/export”.
«Our commitment to supporting intermodality continues, so that the port of Gioia Tauro takes on an increasingly strong role as a reference logistics hub for the entire South. To this end, I would like to thank Dr. Sabrina De Filippis and her staff for the attention dedicated to the development prospects of our airport, and of course the regional councilor Emma Staine, with whom a very fruitful dialogue is underway aimed at improving the connections with the ports of the Calabria Region” added Andrea Agostinelli, President of the Port System Authority of the southern Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas.
