Ecommerce giant Amazon has reached an agreement with the Italian state railways. Together, they are launching a rail service to move products between distribution centers in Italy and Germany by train. This could greatly reduce the marketplace’s CO2 emissions.

At the end of last year, Amazon already announced that it is increasingly using rail and sea transportation in Europe. In total, the company wants to transport products through over 100 rail lanes and more than 300 sea routes.

Two routes

Now, the online marketplace has announced an agreement with Italian state railway Ferrovie dello Stato (FS). They are setting up two routes: one from Duisburg in Germany to Pomezia in Italy, and one from Herne, Germany, to Verona, Italy.

In total, there will be nine weekly trains on both routes.

FS subsidiary Mercitalia Intermodal will provide three weekly trains on the first route. On the second route, six trains will run weekly, provided by TX Logistik. This is another FS company. According to the Italian state railways, this shift could cut CO2 emissions by 9,000 tons annually, compared to road transport.

Geography Italy beneficial

“Italy’s geography and strong Alpine connections position it as a key player in unlocking the benefits of a growing intermodal rail sector”, said Lorenzo Barbo, CEO of Amazon Italia Logistics. “Expanding our collaboration with Mercitalia allows us to further develop sustainable logistics practices and increase rail freight between our European sites.”

‘Expanding our collaboration allows us to develop sustainable logistics practices.’

For the train company itself, the route with Germany fits in with its business plans. “Rail connections to and from Germany are part of our strategic plan, aligned with the European Union’s target of 30 percent of goods transported by rail by 2030”, said Sabrina de Filippis, CEO of Mercitalia Logistics.