This is the English translation of a podcast interview conducted in Italian by radio VENETO24 on Friday June 26, 2026
Riccardo Sandre: The logistics of the future, told by Interporto Padova and Green Logistics Expo. Good morning from the world of logistics—an invisible world without which our daily lives would come to an instant halt. I am Riccardo Sandro, and in today’s episode, we will discover the importance of interports in the global logistics chain. A very recent study by Fedespedi certifies that the Italian interport system is a pillar of national logistics. As always, numbers help us give substance to this statement.
The 24 interports belonging to UIR (Unione Interporti Riuniti), which represent the entire Italian intermodal logistics network, handled a total of 52,800 freight trains in 2025. 60% of these were intermodal transport, generating a total turnover of 214 million euros with a profitability growth of 8.7%. Globally, they manage a general area of approximately 34 million square meters between warehouses and terminals, with nearly 750 direct employees, plus thousands of employees from companies settled within their structures. It is a sector in rapid technological and regulatory evolution, which is being heavily relied upon to significantly—and above all, efficiently and modernly—increase the share of domestic and international rail freight.
We are discussing this with Giampaolo Serpagli, President of UIR and Interporto Parma, who deeply understands the dynamics of the sector. President Serpagli, good morning and thank you for being with us.
Giampaolo Serpagli: Good morning to you and to those listening.
Riccardo Sandre: And welcome—I forgot to say it, but I’ll say it now—to The Logistics of the Future. Interports are a fundamental node in the logistics chain, but perhaps they are little known in their functions, often confused with simple real estate management of warehouses. Can you explain why your role is central, especially looking at these years and those to come?
Giampaolo Serpagli: Yes, well, thank you very much for the invitation and for the question. Indeed, we have always been considered—not only by those outside the sector—as secondary nodes compared to ports and airports. Consider that interports and land intermodal nodes were only included in national planning in 2022; it is very recent. However, it is true that in recent years, the strategic visibility of interport nodes has certainly changed.
This is certainly thanks to the work done to achieve the goal of Law 177 of 2025, which repealed the historic 1990 law that established Italian interports. More generally, our work is an integrated system of transport and land intermodal infrastructure. By definition and by law, we are the places where the exchange between rail and road occurs. We are natural aggregator hubs for long-haul freight transport wherever routes and railway lines allow it. We know the work currently being done on the Italian railway line, and we look toward 2027 or the near future with greater positivity than in recent years, where necessary work on the lines—requested by us—impacted the reputation of rail transport punctuality.
Within our offerings, we have logistics areas, not just warehouses, often falling within Special Economic Zones (ZES) in the South or Simplified Logistics Zones (ZLS) in the North. This is an infrastructure that provides services both inside the interport areas and to the wider world of manufacturing companies. This is the specific identity and functionality interports have regarding our reference market, which is logistics.
Giampaolo Serpagli: I believe a well-structured interport system is available to everyone, looking to the future with great optimism.
Riccardo Sandre: Well, five Italian interports are consistently ranked among the top 10 in Europe, even though the largest structures are concentrated in Northern Italy. Meanwhile, the demand for land intermodality (rail/road) is growing strongly. Can this contribute to a rebalancing of the territorial distribution of interports and the development of those in the Center-South?
Giampaolo Serpagli: I believe so. While it is true our allocation is more tilted toward the North, the interports in the South are very large. I believe there could be interesting developments both within existing ones and potentially new ones, as the new law allows for this. There are also several smaller interports on the Adriatic side that have very high development potential for the future.
Riccardo Sandre: You also mentioned infrastructural barriers and difficulties that will be overcome by the interventions made in recent years. Can you describe the current situation more precisely and what you expect for the future?
Giampaolo Serpagli: Many current interports have infrastructure suited to new European standards, such as accommodating 750-meter trains. A good part of the RFI (Italian Railway Network) line was not adapted to this gap before the recent works. This changes things radically; it essentially doubles the capacity of our trains. To move beyond cold numbers, I’ll give a quick comparison: 50 heavy trucks can be contained in a single train. Think of the potential to remove trucks from our roads, which are increasingly congested, busy, and dangerous.
Furthermore, this work is done very quickly within the interports. I believe the time for opposition between rail and road is over. Speaking frequently with road haulers, they all mention a great scarcity of workers; they are in an overbooking situation and cannot meet all client requests. I believe this integrated work can be perfected even more in the coming years.
Riccardo Sandre: Absolutely, a virtuous integration that can produce positive effects for the environment and the sector. You mentioned the regulatory framework; Law 4 was recently approved, qualifying interports as strategic national infrastructure. What scenarios does this new law draw?
Giampaolo Serpagli: First, let me thank my predecessor, Matteo Gasparato; much of the credit is due to his determination to have a law that classifies us. This positions us as one of the strategic poles of the State and our Italian infrastructure. Secondly, it makes 25 million euros available. It’s not a huge amount, but between now and 2027, we must work with the government to decide how to invest it. This is another boost for the Italian logistics system, which should not be underestimated. As you said, we represent 10% of the Italian GDP. Having a sector that accounts for 10%, creates jobs, and provides an outlet for our manufacturing companies can give that extra push our country needs to increase our growth percentage compared to previous years.
Riccardo Sandre: Our thanks to Giampaolo Serpagli, President of UIR. Our episode ends here. Thank you from Riccardo Sandro and the entire staff of The Logistics of the Future. Until next time.
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