From October 2025, the Volkswagen Group will add the port of Venice to its network for the import and export of new vehicles. The announcement was made at Transport Logistic 2025 in Munich, specifying that operations will be based at the former Sirma quay in Porto Marghera, which has been redeveloped with an investment of five million euros by the Piedmont-based company Vezzani, which holds a 25-year concession for the site. The automotive logistics area spans 27 hectares and is already connected to the railway network.
The terminal will handle loading and unloading from car carriers, as well as storage, distribution, terminal management, and intermodal logistics. The project includes the launch of weekly direct rail connections to key markets in Central and Eastern Europe, along with new maritime routes to the Far East. Peter Hörndlein, head of vehicle logistics at Volkswagen Group Logistics, explained that “choosing the port of Venice supports our ambitions in several ways. It is not only an important step forward in making the Volkswagen Group’s vehicle logistics more flexible and resilient, but also a decisive lever for simultaneously reducing costs and CO2 emissions.”
The North Adriatic Sea Port Authority used the project presentation as an opportunity to highlight its support for the growth of automotive logistics, with a 60-million-euro allocation funding the construction of a rail bridge over the West Industrial Canal, the widening of Via dell’Elettricità, the upgrading of the Via della Chimica junction, and the expansion of the Venice Marghera Scalo station, which will be capable of handling up to 40 trains a day. These works aim to make the port a benchmark for intermodality in the Upper Adriatic.
The Port Authority also reported that development of the new logistics platform in Porto Marghera is well underway. This key infrastructure will manage agro-food and container flows and is connected to over 65 kilometres of internal rail network. President Fulvio Lino Di Blasio concluded by stating that “the port of Venice is becoming a preferred destination for global logistics and automotive players.”
