In a joint letter addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini, the presidents of the railway sector associations Fermerci and FerCargo, Clemente Carta and Mauro Pessano, denounced that "the conditions in which rail freight operators are forced to work, without any feedback or support required for months, make the situation no longer sustainable. This - they explained in the letter - creates profound inconvenience to the Italian industrial system and local economies. We ask with forces urgent intervention by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, led by Matteo Salvini, to avoid a crisis with unpredictable consequences".

"The continuous interruptions of the railway lines, caused by from the work of the PNRR until 2026 - continued Carta and Pessano - are leading to a reduction in the ability to transport of more than 50% in 2024, with peaks of 80% during the summer months. Added to this are the closures of the passes including the Frejus and the Gotthard, which have serious repercussions on the entire Italian logistics system. These problems, along with natural events such as floods in Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany and the Red Sea crisis are causing a collapse in rail freight traffic, with a loss of 3.2% in 2023 compared to the previous year and a forecast of further a 6.7% drop in 2024. The estimated economic damage for 2024 is of about 90 million euros, with similar prospects for the following two years".

"This context - concluded the presidents of Fermerci and FerCargo - not only prevents the development of the sector and the modal rebalancing, but risks compromising the integrity of the and the future of companies and the approximately 15,000 workers employed. We reiterate our availability, at any time, to discuss with all institutional interlocutors to identify and immediately implement the solutions needed to overcome this crisis".