Sangritana does it again: Honda components will now travel by rail

Published on 14-10-2022 at 06:00

Photo: Honda and Sangritana present their partnership. Sangritana

After launching a rail freight service for the transport of automotive parts between Italy and Poland on behalf of Stellantis, Sangritana is putting Honda motorcycle components on the rail as well. Sangritana is an Italian private transportation company based in Abruzzo, in southeast Italy.

The service will connect the port of Trieste with the Abruzzo Interport in Manoppello. It officially started on Wednesday, 12 October, after two successful tests were carried out in August and September. A spokesperson from Sangritana told RailFreight.com there should be 40 yearly trains running this service.

With the current schedule, trains will leave the port of Trieste on Tuesday evening and reach Manoppello on Wednesday morning. The components will then be transported by road to the only Honda facility in Europe in the Sangro Valley, roughly 100 kilometres from the Abruzzo Interport, where they will be assembled.

Brand new wagons for a brand new service

French manufacturer Ermewa provides the 80-foot wagons used for this service, and they just got out of the factory, as the Sangritana spokesperson pointed out. The train will be equipped with 18 of these wagons, leading to a maximum capacity of 72 TEUs. Sangritana will collaborate with Adriafer for terminal shunting operations and with Captrain Italy for the traction in the Italian northeast.

The containers, most of which are owned by COSCO and MSC, arrive via sea at the Trieste Maritime Terminal from Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, and Thailand. They are moved from the ship onto the Sangritana train directly at the quay. The containers are then brought back to Trieste empty and returned to the companies that own them.

COSCO’s containers on the Sangritana train. Image: Sangritana

A cooperative spirit with an eye on the environment

Honda and Sangritana show signs of a cooperative attitude with their neighbours as well. As the Sangritana spokesperson mentioned, Honda is ready to lend this service to interested parties from the Abruzzo areas. The company is, in fact, planning to concede the eventual free room on the trains from Trieste to those who would like to use it.

The Sangritana spokesperson added that this new service will replace the previous delivery process, which occurred by feeder ships stopping in smaller Italian ports. The shift to rail will therefore guarantee lower emissions as well as significantly faster transit times.

MSC’s container on the Sangritana train. Image: Sangritana

Sangritana is at the forefront of the modal shift to rail

Sangritana is playing a crucial role in the modal shift to rail for the transportation of car and motorcycle components. Less than two months ago, the company launched a rail freight service carrying automotive components between the Abruzzo Interport and Gliwice in Poland.

The service links the two Stellantis facilities in Italy and Poland that can now exchange components via rail. Sangritana is also quite keen on using brand-new rolling stock since both the Stellantis and Honda services are carried out on new convoys.

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