There is a close link between the future of the Italian section of the new Turin-Lyon railway between Avigliana and Turin Orbassano and the Sito freight terminal, located next to the FS freight yard south of Turin’s ring road. The intermodal platform, which has never enjoyed particularly strong performance, at least from the rail freight perspective, is looking for an opportunity to relaunch itself and play a more active role in the future.
The objective of the Turin freight village is to become a crossroads serving the freight flows generated by the new high-capacity railway between Italy and France, whose most significant infrastructure project is the Mont Cenis base tunnel. This favourable development appears to be the only real opportunity available to give Turin’s intermodal hub a significant role in rail freight transport. The new railway alignment planned south of the existing line between Avigliana and Turin Orbassano was expressly designed to enhance the freight village and Turin’s intermodal role. It should not be forgotten that, in the initial design proposals, the railways had planned a route north of the city that would have linked the new line directly with Chivasso and therefore with the Turin-Milan railway, completely bypassing Turin’s logistics facilities. It was only the determination of the Piedmont Region and the City of Turin, together with business organisations, that eventually led to this change of direction.
The new railway section on a separate alignment between Avigliana and Turin Orbassano, now at an advanced design stage, therefore provides the impetus to relaunch the Sito freight village, which at this point cannot rely solely on its existing infrastructure but must expand the terminal and upgrade its overall technological capabilities. According to the Piedmont Region, investment of around €150 million will be required over the next few years. To finance the transformation of the hub, the regional authorities have announced plans for an international tender aimed at attracting private capital, from Italy or abroad. The operation is intended to cover the cost of the works while maintaining a public-sector majority and institutional control over the Turin logistics hub. The first priorities include expanding the rail yard and storage areas and developing freight logistics management.
Società Interporto di Torino (Sito) is predominantly publicly controlled, with regional financial company Finpiemonte Partecipazioni holding 52.74%, followed by Socotras and FS Logistix. The company is currently going through a particularly delicate management phase. The 2023-2026 Business Plan was approved by the shareholders’ meeting in May 2023, and therefore also endorsed by Finpiemonte and the Region, but, as stated in the 2025 financial statements, without providing “the necessary financial coverage to support the substantial investments proposed in the Plan”. The 2025 financial year, excluding depreciation and write-downs, closed with a loss approaching €500,000. Some improvement works launched in previous years, such as extending certain tracks to the 750-metre standard and upgrading handling areas, were only made possible by a significant contribution from the Ministry of Transport.
At this stage, it is essential to complete the design and construction of the Avigliana-Turin Orbassano alternative alignment, overcoming opposition that has already emerged locally. The 24-kilometre route includes an eight-kilometre bored tunnel beneath the morainic hills, followed by a cut-and-cover tunnel approximately half that length, before ending with an open-air section and a complex connection into the Orbassano terminal. This investment is complemented by the upgrading of the existing railway line from Bussoleno, where the connection with the Mont Cenis base tunnel ends, to Avigliana. The works include construction of two new electrical substations, signalling upgrades and the removal of the two remaining level crossings.
Piermario Curti Sacchi
