There is a paradox in the story of the interruption of rail traffic through the Frejus tunnel, caused by a landslide on the French side. For months, Italy's Ministry of Transport criticised its French counterpart for delaying the reopening of the Turin-Lyon line. Yet when the line reopens on 1 April 2025, there is a risk that trains carrying semi-trailers will not operate due to budget cuts made by the same Italian government to the Alpine Rail Motorway. This was stated by Andrea Accastelli, CEO of the intermodal company jointly owned by Mercitalia and SNCF, in the Piedmont edition of Corriere della Sera. Accastelli pointed out that the 2025 Budget Law reduced funding by two and a half million euros. "Under these conditions, it will be very difficult to resume operations," he said, adding that rail users have, in the meantime, found alternative solutions.
Accastelli further commented, "Without financial support, I don’t see how we can restart." The ministry’s budget cut is tied to the principle that subsidies are granted based on trains actually operated. However, since the Afa service runs solely on this line, it has been unable to report any activity during the closure. The CEO of Sito Logistica, a company operating in the Orbassano freight village where it manages the Italian terminal for the rolling highway, also weighed in on the matter. "If Afa doesn’t restart, neither will the Sito Logistica intermodal terminal." Before the closure of the Turin-Lyon rail line, Afa operated three daily convoys for industrial vehicles between the two cities.
