Valdaro Freight Village: how the A22 is reshaping intermodal logistics
Against the backdrop of a changing geopolitical landscape, the ‘motorways of the sea’ are taking on ever greater strategic importance in ensuring security and resilience
(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor)- Against the backdrop of shifting and ever-changing geopolitical scenarios, the motorways of the sea are taking on ever greater strategic importance in ensuring the security, resilience and continuity of supply chains. International tensions and the fragmentation of trade make it essential to diversify routes and modes of transport. Against this backdrop, the Mediterranean is once again becoming a crucial hub between Europe, Africa and Asia. A context in which Mediterranean ports are no longer mere transit points, but integrated logistics platforms offering high added value. Their central role depends on their ability to intercept global trade flows quickly and efficiently. In this context, the connection to hinterland ports and land corridors via modern, digitalised intermodal hubs is of fundamental importance.
In particular, the integration of maritime, rail and road transport reduces journey times, costs and emissions; intermodal hubs therefore strengthen the competitiveness of regions and attract industrial and logistics investment. Furthermore, they improve energy and food security, ensuring stable supply flows even during times of crisis. Developing the ‘motorways of the sea’ and upgrading ports therefore means investing in economic sovereignty and in the stability of the entire Euro-Mediterranean region.
The Valdaro freight village
Autostrada del Brennero has always regarded reducing the environmental impact of transport through a shift in the balance between transport modes – by investing in road and rail – as a priority. This is the basis for its support for intermodal hubs. These objectives include the expansion of the Trento freight village, the construction – in collaboration with Quadrante Europa – of the Isola della Scala intermodal hub – for which the company has already acquired a 70-hectare site – and the development of the Valdaro river port in Mantua. The latter is a strategic intermodal logistics hub in northern Italia and offers a trimodal platform (road, rail, water) for freight, connected to the Mantua–Adriatic waterway.
The company’s challenge in the field of intermodal transport does not end there: after road and rail, Autobrennero is also looking to water and air transport. The company’s plans also include the development of the port of Valdaro, which connects Mantua to the sea via 136 kilometres of canals unaffected by tidal variations and therefore navigable 365 days a year. Traffic volumes handled by the port of Valdaro are steadily increasing: simply consider that in 2019 it handled around 250,000 tonnes by water, a figure that rose to 754,000 in 2022 and is estimated to well exceed 800,000 by the end of this year. As for air travel, Autostrada del Brennero aims to open a new motorway service station in Villafranca, near the airport, to speed up connections for those wishing to catch a flight.
