Geodis has extended its rail freight network in Europe with a dedicated rail service between Vicenza in north-eastern Italy and Noisy-le-Sec in the Paris metropolitan area. This new link, inaugurated in October 2026 thanks to Rail Logistics Europe, enables companies to send their goods directly along a route that previously had no specific rail connection.

The two rail logistics companies of Rail Logistics Europe, Captrain and Hexafret, carry out the operations. Like Geodis, these two companies belong to the SNCF Group and benefit from the group’s know-how and operational capabilities in rail freight activities.

The service will begin with one train a week in each direction. But Geodis and partners intend to double that frequency, beginning in January 2027, anticipating demand for a more efficient rail link between Italy and France.

The new route is suitable for a range of freight including packaged liquids and powdered goods, giving businesses the flexibility to cater for their diverse logistics and cargo handling requirements.

Rail freight services improve in north-eastern Italy

The Vicenza-Noisy-le-Sec link is a new step in Geodis’ strategy of developing its intermodal transport offer in Italy.

To date, the current rail freight connections from Novara have mainly served companies in Lombardy, Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna, the company says. The new service expands the network to companies in north-eastern Italy, offering a direct rail alternative to road freight to the Paris region.

Geodis wishes to offer companies additional transport capacity through a dedicated link on this corridor and to encourage the development of a more sustainable freight activity between the main European logistics markets.

Up to 80% reduction in CO2 emissions per shipment

One of the main advantages Geodis points out for the new intermodal service is the environmental performance.

Intermodal transport can cut CO2 emissions by an average of 80% per shipment compared with a fully road-based solution utilizing diesel vehicles, the company said. The calculation also includes the road transport legs that are necessary before and after the rail journey, so that a comparison of the total transport chain is given.

Also, the service offers a greater capacity load per transport unit. The loading unit can carry up to 28 tons of goods compared to the normal 25 tons in conventional road transport.

This additional capacity implies that more cargo can be transported per unit which can increase the efficiency of transport and reduce the number of units needed to move similar amounts of cargo.

Fuel price volatility reaction

In addition to the environmental benefits and the increased loading capacity, the new rail link is also supposed to offer logistics customers more cost stability.

With fuel prices still volatile, transferring some of the transport operation from road to rail will help companies mitigate their exposure to changes in the price of diesel. For Geodis, the service is therefore an opportunity to better reconcile cost predictability with a lower environmental impact.

By 2027, the company expects to process 6,500 swap bodies per year, a target that reflects its expectations for the development of the new corridor.

The Vicenza-Paris link is another step in the evolution of intermodal freight transport in Europe, strengthening the rail connections between the Italian industrial areas and the French logistics market, with the planned increase in frequency from January 2027 and a growing customer base in northeastern Italy.