On the night of February 21, 2024, the first Gts train service linking the Adriatic to the Tyrrhenian sea along the Bari-Paola-Salerno-Nola route embarked on its journey, offering an alternative to the Bari-Naples route. The service aims to shift 180 industrial vehicles per week from road to rail. The inaugural train journeyed overnight from Bari to arrive in Nola (Naples) the following morning before returning to Apulia. Initially, the service will operate once a week, with plans to potentially triple this frequency by the end of June 2024. The main goods transported include tomatoes, pasta, beverages, as well as products from the steel and packaging industries.
"The direct Bari-Naples railway line is an outdated infrastructure with many issues, starting with limitations related to the size of containers," explains Fabio Piliego, Commercial Director of Gts. "These limitations prevent the operation of trains with 90 cubic meter containers, which are the most commercially in demand. Thus, pending the modernization and completion of railway works, this alternative route will enable Gts to meet significant demand not only between Apulian and Campanian markets but beyond." Lucio Punzo, CEO of the Nola Intermodal Terminal, adds, "The connection with Bari represents the first railway link between Nola and southern Italy, a further step towards Tin's goal of becoming the reference rail terminal for the entire southern region."