ADRIATIC PORTS OF APULIA,
GATEWAY TO SOUTHERN EUROPE
The ports of Bari and Brindisi have been specializing
in ro-ro and ro-pax ferry connections along the
Motorways of the Sea segment included in the
North-South axis from Upper Adriatic to Sicily and
the East-West axis linking the Tyrrenian Sea (Spain)
to the Ionian and Eagean (Greece and Turkey). Both
ports also represent the main hubs for ro-pax
ferries to/from Albania, thanks to the crossings
with Durres and Valona, as well as to/from Greece
and its Ionian isles, supporting cross-border tourist
flows particularly in summer.
The port of Brindisi plays a very important role
in the support of Salento’s industrial and energy
activities, while Bari is the main port for grain
handling in Southern Italy.
The ports of Manfredonia, Barletta and Monopoli
are destined to liquid bulk, dry bulk and plant
building.
The integration of Apulian ports is significant with
the railway network allowing to intercept traffic
along the Adriatic motorway, thanks to the recent
upgrading of the network itself by the use of P/C-
80 trains linking Lecce, Brindisi, Bari and Foggia
to the Northern Italy. The Government has been
intervening to create the Naples–Bari high-speed
railway line leading to the utilization of the route
towards Naples, Rome and Florence in the future.
A beam of rails has been constructed at the Costa
Morena Terminal in the port of Brindisi and is soon
going to be operational, thus facilitating a direct
sea-rail intermodality. It is the only rail-maritime
Terminal in Adriatic Apulia, so that the goods
arriving at the Apulian ports are distributed to the
following inland terminals, through efficient road
links:
a)Bari-Lamasinata. It is the main freight terminal
in Apulia, a real hub where Scalo Ferruccio, GTS
railway sleeper and Interporto Regionale della
Puglia merge. Both the single-wagon-load traffic
and the combined traffic are managed: the first
is essentially national (Turin Orbassano, Pace
del Mela, Pescara Porta Nuova, Foligno, Padova
Interporto, Pisa); while the second is made up
not only of national but also of international links
towards Northern Europe through the Brenner
motorway.
b)Foggia-Incoronata. This developing hub manages
traffic whose point of origin/destination is the
province of Foggia as well as trains departing from
Bari-Lamasinata and stopping at Incoronata for
coupling and uncoupling of wagons.
c)Giovinazzo, at the gates of Bari. This is a private
railway terminal for public use destined to combined
transports which is regularly linked to Lugo
terminal in Emilia region and to the Interporto di
Verona Quadrante Europa.
d)Brindisi. The railway station is characterized by
intermodal and single-wagon-load traffics, coming
from the industrial establishments in the port.
e)Lecce-Surbo. The terminal is characterized by
conventional transports only and is connected to
the railway sleeper managed by the Consortium for
Industrial Development Area in Lecce, serving all
the big industrial establishments.
The development of the Region as well as of the
logistic activities related to the Apulian port system
will receive a strong impetus by the SEZ (Special
Economic Zones) activation. According to the
planning by the Government of Apulia Region, the
lower Adriatic SEZ, directed by the Port Network
Authority of the Southern Adriatic Sea, will deal
with port and dry port areas in the provinces of
Bari, Brindisi, Manfredonia in addition to productive
areas that are functionally linked, such as the ones
in Salento.