The final event of the Vamp Up project, aimed at the optimisation of the development of the Port of Vado Ligure Multipurpose Platform and co-funded by the European Commission within the Connecting Europe Facility programme, took place in Vado Ligure on 21 June, with a virtual visit on the part of the Project Manager of the EU Commission, Julian Espina Casabonne-Maisonnave.
The project was launched by the Port Authority, in partnership with VIO Intermodal Terminal, in 2016 with the aim of boosting multimodal connections between the Port of Vado Ligure and the overland transport network.
The infrastructure works co-funded by the CEF transport programme include the construction of a connecting bridge over the on-terminal direct rail link with the railyard (photo 1), currently undergoing extensive renovation. In addition, the Vamp Up project phased in the installation of a rail gate portal (photo 2) over the port rail tracks, designed to monitor in real-time data on the rail cars and containers in transit, and due to be integrated shortly into the Port Community System rail module, across the E-Bridge project. Furthermore, the action plan was responsible for the publication of a set of preliminary studies on the optimisation of the last mile rail operations, which have today been incorporated into the executive projects implemented by RFI (Italian Rail Network) and the Port Authority.
The Vamp Up project has, consequently, successfully shifted the modal split from road to rail in the Port of Vado Ligure: to date, 30% of overland traffic is handled by rail and in the medium-term, with the scheduling of 11 regular rail services between the Port of Vado and the major manufacturing and consumer centres in Northern Italy, will be boosted up to 40%. The improved modal split is set to contribute significantly to a reduction in the carbon footprint of the Vado Ligure supply chain and in traffic along the motorway network.
