19. May 2026, 13:01 o'Clock
Italy
Article: La Dolce Vita and Back with the DB Cargo FLS Italy Shuttle
Multimodal transport solution between Northwest Europe and Italy
The Italian market is of central importance to numerous industrial and commercial enterprises. Accordingly, the demands for stable, predictable, and resilient supply chains between the economic regions of Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands as well as Italy are high. The Italy Shuttle from DB Cargo Full Load Solutions (TRANSA Spedition GmbH) provides a high-frequency, multimodal solution for this purpose that integrates road and rail.
Multimodal concept for reliable transit times
The transport concept is based on an efficient combination of modes of transport: the pre- and post-haul is handled flexibly by truck, while the main leg of the journey is carried out by rail. This allows typical restrictions of road transport—such as traffic jams or driving and rest periods—to be specifically circumvented. Full and less-than-truckload (FTL/LTL) shipments of up to 25 tons reach their destination reliably within six to eight days, depending on the destination.
Case Study: Building materials logistics in intermodal transport
Handling of tiles at the Dinazzano terminal on Tamns wagons in multimodal transport
A practical example illustrates the operational implementation: Tiles from Italy are transported to Germany and other destinations for a German home improvement retail chain. In the pre-leg, truck transport consolidates the goods from three manufacturing sites and delivers them to the terminal in Dinazzano—ranging from general cargo to full truckloads.
There, the goods are transshipped onto Tamns wagons. With fixed departure times, the main leg of rail freight transport to the Limburg terminal is carried out regularly and predictably.
At the destination terminal, the goods are unloaded and reloaded onto trucks for the final leg of the journey. To meet fixed delivery windows, intermediate storage can be arranged at Limburg . The final distribution to various receiving locations is then carried out flexibly and on schedule. This coordinated process ensures high delivery reliability, even with complex distribution requirements along the route between Italy and Northwest Europe.
Operational predictability and emission reduction
Due to the high proportion of the route covered by rail , the Italy Shuttle reduces CO₂e emissions by up to 80 percent compared to pure road transport. At the same time, the transport chain remains flexible and scalable. In addition to standard palletized goods, building materials, bulk goods, household appliances, and big bags can also be transported reliably.
Daily departures in both directions improve planning reliability and strengthen stable transport chains between Italy and the economic regions in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, as well as the Nordic countries. DB Cargo FLS’s multimodal offering thus makes a significant contribution to resource conservation and resilient logistics along this route.
Infrastructure as a stability factor: Dinazzano clay storage facility
Dinazzano clay warehouse in the Sassuolo ceramic cluster to stabilise the supply chain
In addition to transport services, the logistics infrastructure along the route is being continuously developed. A current example is the new clay storage facility at the Dinazzano terminal in the Sassuolo ceramics district, one of Europe’s most important tile production clusters. The project was initiated in 2025 with the aim of stabilizing the supply chain operationally and making it more flexible in response to market demands.
The warehouse makes it possible to offset seasonal fluctuations, respond quickly to customer needs, and mitigate disruptions in the transport process. The facility covers an area of approximately 2,000 square meters and has a capacity of up to 12,000 tons. It has a modular design and is set to be further expanded in the coming months.
Industry dialogue and further development
The consistent drive to further develop transport services to Italy was also evident at the customer event “Clay Day 2026,” organized by DB Cargo FLS Italia. The event offered around 70 customers and stakeholders from the region a platform for professional exchange and insights into the local infrastructure. In particular, the new clay storage facility highlighted the integrated approach combining transport and warehousing logistics in multimodal transport.
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