Italy to launch EUR 30m aid for port shunting

Shunting locomotive positioning intermodal wagons inside an Italian port terminal. Italy has now secured approval for a EUR 30m state-aid scheme targeting port shunting — the short last-mile moves that often decide whether freight uses rail or road. Photo: Contship Italia Group.

Italy secured European Commission approval on 22 January 2026 for a five-year state-aid scheme covering port shunting operations. The programme allocates EUR 30m.

The Commission’s decision clears the scheme under EU state-aid rules, but the funding is national. Italy will fund the programme and define eligibility within the approved framework.

Approval granted — scheme not yet in force

The approval does not mean the scheme is already in force. Italy still needs to implement it nationally, including an enabling decree and, depending on the design, follow-on procedures involving the relevant Port System Authorities.

Rather than funding infrastructure upgrades, the measure targets operational costs inside ports. It focuses on the short rail moves that link terminals to the mainline network.

Italian rail freight association Fermerci has welcomed the measure. It argues that port-side last-mile costs often determine whether freight uses rail or road.

What it means: Shunting refers to short rail movements inside a port or terminal to position wagons and build or split consists. Because these moves are cost-intensive, they often determine whether freight uses rail access or shifts to road.