The declared aim is to boost the logistics and intermodal vocation of Italy’s northwest, creating conditions for more effective integration into Europe’s Ten-T freight corridors by establishing a unified system. At one end, this system is anchored in Ligurian ports, while at the other it connects to France and Northern Europe through the Swiss transit routes. To achieve this goal, it is essential to complete the region's most significant infrastructure project currently underway—the Italian Terzo Valico Giovi railway crossing—integral to the overall enhancement of Genoa’s railway hub. Yet, while the necessity of completing this project seems obvious, some crucial elements in the broader picture remain overlooked. These include several planned and scheduled interventions whose timelines are inconsistent and uncertain, complicating the overall vision.
The Terzo Valico Giovi crossing will indeed create fresh opportunities for intermodal transport, but its benefits will remain partially unrealised, at least in the short term. The principal challenge remains capacity constraints toward Milan, where a fully four-track line is essential. Prospects, however, are far from encouraging. Currently, only the first segment between Milan Rogoredo and Pavia, an 11-kilometre stretch to Pieve Emanuele, is fully funded and under construction. For the second phase, between Pieve Emanuele and Pavia, the authorisation process is underway, yet financial coverage is still awaited before issuing the subsequent tender. Moving further towards Genoa, the plan for laying two new tracks between Tortona and Voghera is at the centre of heated debate with local authorities, and if all goes well, approval may only arrive by summer 2025. Meanwhile, clarity on the intermediate segment between Pavia and Voghera remains elusive.
But delays in upgrading the rail route between Milan and the Terzo Valico Giovi crossing aren't the only factors limiting the line's capacity. Other less visible yet significant issues remain. Foremost is upgrading railway yards to meet the European standard length of 750 metres, allowing freight trains up to 740 metres long, thus increasing competitiveness. These upgrades are due to be completed by 2030, but according to RFI sources, completed projects currently represent just 10% of the total required. At best today, train lengths don't exceed 600 metres, and even then only on the more modern Giovi Branch line. Upon completion, 750-metre tracks are planned at key points including Vado Ligure, Voltri, Fuori Muro and Campasso.
Until the Terzo Valico Giovi railway crossing becomes operational, there will also remain significant restrictions on loading gauge, imposing constraints on intermodal transport. Currently, high-cube containers can only travel via the line from Genoa through Ovada and up to Alessandria (with a PC/45 profile). Existing Giovi lines have a PC/22 profile, the most restrictive on the RFI network, excluding intermodal transport and taller containers entirely. The Savona-Genoa line offers a marginally better PC/32 profile, though it is still limited. Only with the Terzo Valico Giovi crossing will Genoa’s terminals, including Voltri and Marittima Fuori Muro, fully access the Po Valley without restrictions, with a maximum PC/80 gauge and gradients limited to 12 per thousand.
While waiting for all these projects to conclude, RFI has already projected future freight traffic volumes. Commercial services are expected to nearly double, rising from today’s 38 trains per day to around 70 toward the Po Valley. Approximately 75% of this traffic will move through Milan/Piacenza, while the remaining 25% will route via Alessandria. For now, the industry must wait patiently for the Terzo Valico Giovi crossing to materialise, as the completion date remains uncertain.
Piermario Curti Sacchi
