Italy cancels subsidies for renewing rail freight rolling stock… again

With another policy reversal, the Italian government will cut 55 million euros from the fund intended for rail freight operators to incentivise the purchase of new rolling stock. This is the second time in six months that the plans for these funds have changed, highlighting the ongoing uncertainty that the Italian rail freight sector continues to face.

The money cut from this fund will be diverted to the government’s budget law, as explained by Giuseppe Rizzi, General Manager of Fermerci – the Italian Rail Freight Association. ”The EU authorised the incentive for the renewal of rail freight rolling stock in 2023, but in August, the Italian institutions blocked everything,” he added.

Removing trains from Milan is not that easy

Rizzi also addressed the recently proposed idea of reducing the number of freight trains passing through major passenger hubs during peak hours. While acknowledging that safety remains a priority, such an initiative would be difficult to implement and not very advantageous. “Making freight trains disappear, from any major centre and not just from Milan, is not that easy; there are existing contracts, and companies have organised themselves based on them,” he concluded.