ER.I.C. THE EMILIA-ROMAGNA INTERMODAL CLUSTER
ER.I.C. (the Emilia-Romagna Intermodal Cluster) was founded in 2018 as a result of a memorandum of understanding entitled “Agreement for the enhancement of the regional intermodal system.” This agreement was signed between the Emilia-Romagna Region and the region’s major intermodal platforms, including the Port of Ravenna, interports, rail yards, and intermodal terminals.
The main objective of ER.I.C. is in the development of collaborative activities and the promotion of the intermodal platform system of the Emilia-Romagna region at the national and international level, as well as in spreading a culture of logistics as an advanced, technological, and innovative service.
The original signatories of the Agreement were the Port System Authority of the Central-Northern Adriatic Sea, Centro Padano Interscambio Merci (Ce.P.I.M.) Spa, Dinazzano Po Spa, Interporto Bologna Spa, Lotras Srl, Terminali Italia Srl, Terminal Piacenza Intermodale Srl, and Terminal Rubiera Srl, to which the SAPIR Group joined in 2019 and Lugo Terminal Spa in 2022.
The members of the Cluster are dedicated to creating a freight transport system that is both eco-friendly and economically viable, while minimizing any negative impact on the surrounding environment. In order to promote sustainable transportation and decrease the reliance on road transport, the Cluster is working to boost intermodal services and support companies in expanding their international presence throughout the European market. This will not only help strengthen the position of the Emilia-Romagna region as a key logistics hub for Southern Italy and the Eastern Mediterranean, but also create new opportunities for intermodal operators throughout the region.
ER.I.C. strives to promote the development of seamless intermodal services at both the national and European level, in a bid to create fresh possibilities for intermodal operators in the region, and enhance the competitiveness and accessibility of this critical area that lies along three key corridors of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T): the “Scandinavian-Mediterranean”, the “Baltic-Adriatic”, and the “Mediterranean”.