Freight transport: road still dominates in Italia. On rail just 8%

In freight transport, the road mode remains predominant in Italy: in 2024, the land transport of freight handled a total of 1,205.1 million tonnes, of which 92.1% was by road and 7.9% by rail. Also in terms of tonne-kilometres, the road mode prevailed and accounted for 86.9% of the total transport.

This is what emerges from a Istat focus on the sector, in which it is explained that domestic and international transport have a substantially different role and weight for the two modes: goods travel predominantly by rail for international transport and by road for domestic transport. In fact, the composition of internal transport by mode shows that 96.8% of the tonnes moved within the national territory and 91.7% of the tonne-kilometres travel by road. Specifically, in terms of quantity transported, inland transport by rail accounts for 37.7% of the total tonnes transported by rail; on the contrary, inland transport by road is absolutely prevalent and accounts for 97.6% of the total amount of tonnes transported by heavy road vehicles.

Inland transport, both by rail and road, is mainly concentrated in the northern regions of Italia where 56.4% of the national gross domestic product is realised and the largest part of our industrial system is located. About 82% of goods transported by rail and 68.2% of those moved by road come from the northern regions.

The focus recalls that as part of the Green Deal and the Strategy for Smart and Sustainable Mobility, the goal 'is to shift at least 30 per cent of freight transport over 300 kilometres from road to rail or waterways by 2030'.

Until 2004, Istat recalls, the freight rail transport market in Italia was historically dominated by the incumbent Ferrovie dello Stato, flanked by a limited number of former railways under concession or government management, active on local and regional networks and in specific industrial areas, the Istat report explains. In subsequent years, following the opening up of the market, the number of railway companies for freight transport gradually increased, from 16 active operators in 2004 to 24 active companies in 2024. On the other hand, the transport of goods by road is carried out by companies operating both on their own account and on behalf of third parties. In 2024, in Italia, 13.2 per cent of tonnes were transported by own-account companies and about 87 per cent by companies operating on behalf of third parties.