The enhancement of Ravenna’s freight rail yard is moving to the starting line. In the coming months Rfi (Rete Ferroviaria Italiana – Italian Rail Infrastructure Manager) will launch the tender procedures for the first major phase of works, aimed at boosting intermodal transport between rail and the inland waterways within the port, as well as creating two new terminals directly connected to the national rail network without passing through Ravenna station. The award of the works concerning the left-hand bank of the Candiano Canal is expected in the course of 2026, with completion envisaged over the following two years.
The tender covers the first phase of the project, although a preliminary intervention was already completed and brought into operation in 2020 with the reinstatement of tracks at the Candiano yard and the northern access link, allowing freight trains to arrive and depart without occupying Ravenna station. The most substantial part of this first phase is now getting under way. The expansion of the Candiano yard includes the installation of seven additional tracks, one of which will be upgraded to the European standard length of 750 metres.
The entire track bundle will be electrified and train movements will be centrally managed through the activation of a new signalling system. Changes to the track layout will make it possible to route all traffic bound for the left-hand bank of the Candiano Canal into the yard, while also ensuring adequate space for locomotive stabling. In practical terms, the Ravenna rail hub will gain direct connections to the lines towards Castel Bolognese, Faenza and Ferrara, helping to relaunch links with the Interporto di Bologna (Bologna Freight Village) and the Sassuolo ceramic district. Annual traffic is estimated at around 4,000 trains using the new facility without involving Ravenna station.
The second phase of the planned works at the Ravenna yard will be more ambitious, although according to Rfi forecasts it lies beyond 2029. This stage concerns the right-hand bank of the Candiano Canal. According to project outlines released by Rfi, it will involve upgrading the track layout, electrifying and centralising all tracks in the “fascio Base” and “fascio Pesa”, which will be assigned arrival and departure, train assembly and disassembly, and handover functions. The connecting link between Ravenna station and the “fascio Base” will also be electrified and managed by a single central system, while additional sidings are planned for the stabling of shunting locomotives.
The “fascio Base” and “fascio Pesa” will effectively form a new freight station, operated through a centralised system and comprising a total of 15 tracks, two of which will be 750 metres long. Taken together, these interventions will allow all remaining traffic currently handled at Ravenna to be shifted to the right-hand bank of the Candiano Canal, delivering significant benefits in terms of reduced overall shunting times.
Piermario Curti Sacchi
