The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the measures prescribed by the Genoa Emergency Law in support of the shift of freight transport from road to rail in the aftermath of the collapse of the Morandi Bridge, which impacted severely upon the Port of Genoa’s inland connections.
The aid takes the form of subsidies to logistics companies and multimodal transport operators, namely:
- A twofold increase in the Italian Rail Bonus, up to 5 euros per train/km, from 15 August 2019 to 31 December 2019, for all freight trains to/from Genoa;
- The allocation of the Port Authority Rail Bonus, up to 4 euros per train/km to/from the strategic inland port hubs located in the Simplified Logistics Zone, from November 2018 to December 2019, for a total of 3.2 million euros;
- A Rail Bonus (up to 200 euros per rail car), funded by the Port Authority, in favour of the rail services operator to compensate for the additional costs generated by the severe disruptions to the inland connections to/from the Sampierdarena basin.
The Commission underlined that the aid granted provides an environmental benefit in support of rail transport, which is less polluting than road haulage, whilst also contributing to a reduction in road congestion. The repercussions of the collapse of the Morandi bridge in August 2018 is cited as an additional element in the compelling need to promote a modal shift from road to rail.
More information: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/mex_20_892
