Ten-T corridor delays Italy: Confetra's warning on Brenner and Terzo Valico

SUNDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER 2026

Confetra warns of the mismatch between major works and their access lines on the Ten-T corridors: the German rail access to the Brenner is not expected before 2043, while the Terzo Valico's entry into service depends on testing after works end by 2028.

Ten-T corridor delays Italy: Confetra has put in writing what many freight forwarders already see in their transport plans, namely that major rail works risk being underused because the access lines arrive much later. The confederation's president, Carlo De Ruvo, speaks of a timing mismatch between the completion of the main works and that of the links feeding them, with direct effects on the efficiency of the whole shipping chain and on the competitiveness of the national logistics and port system.

Ten-T corridor delays Italy: what Confetra is flagging

The issue is not the single tunnel or the single lot, but the network. According to Confetra, the country's logistics competitiveness does not come from the sum of isolated works, but from the ability to make them work as a continuous, efficient and interoperable system. When that continuity is missing, the benefit of the larger infrastructure is neutralised by the bottleneck downstream or upstream: the train can cross the tunnel, but it still queues on the feeder lines or on the last mile.

The Brenner case and the 2043 date

The example cited as emblematic is the Brenner. Italy, the confederation stresses, has met its commitments on its own side, while the new rail access on the German side is not expected before 2043. This means full use of the base tunnel risks being limited for decades, with knock-on effects on the intra-European trade on which more than sixty per cent of Italian exports depend. Hence the call for a strong initiative with the European institutions and the states involved: without alignment of cross-border schedules, the pass remains a funnel.

Terzo Valico: works ending by 2028, service date still uncertain

The second critical point concerns the Terzo Valico dei Giovi, a strategic work connecting the Ligurian ports and the northern industrial base to the Rhine-Alpine corridor. Completion of works is indicated by 2028, but actual entry into service depends on testing and authorisations, as well as on the upgrading of the lines to the north and of last-mile links. Without these measures, Confetra warns, the risk is simply to move the bottleneck onto the Pavia-Voghera axis, that is a few dozen kilometres from where the new line ends.

The figures in the dossier

• 2043: the year before which completion of the new rail access to the Brenner on the German side is not expected.
• More than 60%: the share of Italian exports that depends on intra-European trade, the flows served by the Alpine passes.
• By 2028: the indicated end of works for the Terzo Valico dei Giovi, with entry into service subject to testing and authorisations.
• 4 requests put forward by Confetra: public and verifiable schedules, financial continuity for complementary works, unified monitoring of the passes, transitional solutions and alternative routes.

What it means for importers and exporters

The operational translation of the delays is described bluntly: higher operating costs, lower supply chain reliability and a concrete risk of traffic being diverted to competing corridors and ports. For a company shipping or receiving goods via Northern Europe, the first effect is on the variability of rail lead times, which weighs more than the unit cost of transport: an unstable transit window forces higher safety stocks, earlier slot booking or a shift back to road, with an immediate impact on cost per tonne and on the emissions profile declared to customers.

The second effect is competitive. If the Ligurian ports and northern Italian terminals cannot guarantee stable rail performance towards the Rhine-Alpine corridor, cargo tends to be routed via Northern European gateways, with longer sea transit but a more predictable inland leg. Once that choice is embedded in annual contracts with forwarders, it is hard to reverse when the infrastructure finally enters service.

How to plan alternative routes and lead times

While waiting for the public and verifiable schedules requested by the confederation, those managing import-export flows can work on three concrete levers. The first is the dual contractual route: alongside the main path across the pass, keep an alternative already priced and tested, so as not to negotiate under pressure at the first disruption. The second is periodic review of contractual lead times, distinguishing average transit time from the time that is reliable at the 95th percentile, the only figure useful for sizing inventory. The third is monitoring the authorisation steps: for the Terzo Valico, the date that matters for planners is not the end of works indicated by 2028, but that of testing and opening to commercial service, together with progress on the feeder lines and the last mile.

With La Merce, planning flows via the Brenner or the Terzo Valico means not taking a timetable for granted: we build routing alternatives for companies moving goods along the TEN-T corridors, because a date announced for 2043 is not a date on which to base a supply contract.

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