Rail freight traffic in Italy continued to decline in 2025, according to the latest annual report released by Fermerci, the country’s freight rail association.
Total freight volumes fell to 49.4 million train-kilometers, down 3.5 percent compared with the previous year and nearly 8 percent below the average recorded over the previous three years.
Fermerci president Clemente Carta said the sector is facing an exceptionally difficult period shaped by Europe’s industrial slowdown, high energy costs and ongoing geopolitical instability. However, he stressed that one of the main pressures comes from the extensive infrastructure works currently underway across the national rail network.
Construction sites, temporary line closures, route diversions and reduced network capacity are heavily affecting freight operators, logistics companies, ports and intermodal terminals.
Despite the short-term disruption, Carta argued that the modernization of Italy’s railway infrastructure remains essential to improve efficiency, strengthen intermodal transport and align the network with European standards. “The sector is paying a very high price during this long transition phase,” he said.