Intermodal transport as a regional development strategy: the case of Italian freight villages.

This paper examines the development of intermodal transport operations at freight villages in Italy. Quantitative data on public and private investment and ownership in each of the 25 Italian freight villages are analysed to identify relevant issues, which are then explored through five qualitative case studies. The research considers how intermodal transport stimulation links national modal shift policy with regional economic development strategies based on the promotion of logistics growth. The research identifies a misalignment between national and regional scales, as funding based on national policy does not align with port and freight village planning strategies developed at the regional level. From an operational perspective, this misalignment is exacerbated by the often adversarial relations between ports and intermodal terminals, in addition to the fragmented nature of the Italian freight sector. Even with a national policy to promote freight villages with intermodal terminals and a dedicated funding stream to support this network of approved sites, operational issues mean that establishing intermodal shuttles remains a difficult and marginal enterprise, particularly in the case of southern Italy due to its location on the periphery of intra-European freight flows