The closure of the Domo2 freight terminal in Domodossola (except the DB Cargo Full Load Solutions offices, which remain open), announced in September 2025 by DB Cargo Italia, has been confirmed by local media. The decision directly affects fifteen local employees, who will be relocated to other sites in Lombardy. The company explained the move as a consequence of insufficient traffic over the Simplon pass, which has been losing competitiveness to the more efficient Gotthard corridor. The Simplon was further penalised by scheduled infrastructure works carried out by RFI between Stresa and Arona in the summer of 2025. The suspension of rail traffic, lasting two periods of nearly two months each, made passage through Domodossola more costly, despite €80 million worth of ongoing investments in the line.
However, the decision to shut down Domo2 also appears to be linked to DB Cargo’s broader European restructuring. Deutsche Bahn has announced 5,000 job cuts by 2029, doubling its initial estimate. Operating losses have weighed heavily: minus €497 million in EBIT in 2023, with projections of minus €500 million in 2024. The European Commission has approved €1.9 billion in state aid, conditional on a structural overhaul of operations by 2026, including the separation of business units by cargo type and a review of single-wagon traffic.
The Domodossola hub has played a historic role in the development of DB Cargo Italia. Founded in 2002 as Cargo Nord, the company went through several transformations before Deutsche Bahn acquired control in 2010. Located between Villadossola and Beura Cardezza, Domo2 lies on the Genoa–Rotterdam corridor and covers an area of one million square metres, with a handling capacity of fifty trains per day.
CargoBeamer, however, remains active at Domo2 and has launched an expansion plan involving seventeen weekly rotations with Kaldenkirchen. The company has announced up to €30 million in investments to extend tracks, expand operational areas and reach twelve train pairs per day, potentially taking more than 700 lorries off the roads. CargoBeamer’s services differ from those of DB Cargo, focusing on rail transport of non-craneable semi-trailers, a market segment that is growing in international freight.
