What Lotras does

Lotras S.r.l. is an Italian multimodal transport operator (MTO) headquartered in Foggia, Italy, providing road-rail combined transport services with a specialization in liquid foodstuffs, particularly wine, must, and grape concentrates. The company operates one of the largest wagon fleets in Europe, with approximately 500 railway vehicles comprising specialized tank wagons of approximately 600 hl capacity (compliant with EC food-grade regulations) and multipurpose intermodal wagons for containers, swap bodies, and unaccompanied semitrailers. Its infrastructure includes a 100,000 m² multimodal terminal at Incoronata (Foggia) with 6 km of tracks and a secondary terminal at Villa Selva (Forlì) on the main Adriatic line, both directly connected to motorway and rail networks.

The company's service portfolio spans conventional railway transport, intermodal and combined transport (including the railway highway / autostrada viaggiante for non-cranable trucks launched in late 2021), ECM-certified railway vehicle maintenance under EU directive 2016/798, strategic transport consultancy, and 24/7 security services. Lotras holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and SA 8000 certifications plus the Italian Rating di Legalità, and operates under a D.Lgs. 231/2001 organizational model. In 2022 the company executed approximately 2,000 trains, transported over 3.3 million hectoliters of wines and musts (+35% YoY) and 1.5 million tonnes of other goods (+32% YoY).

Lotras generates revenue through transaction fees on railway transport contracts and managed-services fees from terminal handling and storage, supplemented by professional services revenue from ECM maintenance and transport consultancy. The go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales through a Technical and Commercial Area with named account managers, channel partnerships with Trenitalia, VTG, RFI, and UIRR network members, and active participation in industry events. Primary customer segments are food and beverage producers and large-scale retail/industrial shippers, with secondary segments including logistics forwarders and road transport operators. A 2023 preliminary agreement would see CFI-Compagnia Ferroviaria Italiana acquire 90% of Lotras capital, positioning it within a larger railway services group.

Name

Lotras

Legal name

Lotras S.r.l.

Website

https://lotras.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lotras S.r.l. is an Italian multimodal transport operator specializing in road-rail transport of liquid foodstuffs (wine, must) and intermodal services, operating approximately 500 wagons and two major terminals for enterprise shippers across Italy and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Railway Freight Transport and Multimodal Logistics

NAICS

Line-Haul Railroads (482111), Rail Transportation (48211), Specialized Freight Trucking (4842)

SIC

Railroads, Line-Haul Operating (4011), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Rail Heavy Haul & Dimensional Loads (Out-of-Gauge) (TLADAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bulk Grain Transload Terminals (Rail/Truck/Barge Intermodal) (AFAOAAAC)

Keywords

• Rail freight transport
• Multimodal logistics services
• Intermodal transport operator
• Liquid food transport
• Road-rail combined transport

Headquarters

HQ city

Foggia

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Railway Transport Services: Core revenue from railway transport of liquid foodstuffs (wine, must, concentrates) in specialized tank wagons, and intermodal transport with multipurpose wagons for containers and swap bodies
2. Terminal and Hub Operations: Management of multimodal terminals for road-rail interchange, including handling services, storage, and coordination of logistics operations
3. Maintenance Services: Certified maintenance services for railway vehicles provided to third-party Entities in Charge of Maintenance (ECMs)
4. Consultancy Services: Strategic transport consultancy analyzing transport strategies and optimizing logistics for customers, with focus on energy and environmental savings

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lotras is a Multimodal Transport Operator (MTO) that delivers railway and intermodal freight services with a focus on transport of liquid foodstuffs (wine, must, concentrates) in specialized EC-compliant tank wagons of approximately 600 hl capacity, alongside combined road-rail transport of containers, swap bodies, and unaccompanied semitrailers. The company directly manages integrated road-rail terminals at Incoronata (Foggia) and Villa Selva (Forlì), and operates a rolling highway (autostrada viaggiante) service that loads non-cranable trucks onto trains.

Product overview

Lotras is a multimodal transport operator and manager of integrated road-rail modal exchange platforms. The core offering combines conventional railway transport of liquid foodstuffs (tank wagons for wine and must) with intermodal transport services using swap bodies and containers. The product portfolio includes multipurpose wagons, railway terminal management (Incoronata and Villa Selva), ECM-certified maintenance services, strategic transport consultancy, and safety services. Additional offerings include the railway highway service (autostrada viaggiante) for unaccompanied trailers and the cultural initiative Kings of Green.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transport of Liquid Foodstuffs (Tank Wagons)

Quantifiable outcome

• Removes 120,000 vehicles from roads annually
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UIRR (International Union for Road-Rail Combined Transport)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Membership since 2023 in the association promoting combined transport since 1970. Provides access to European combined transport network and involvement in research and innovation projects and harmonization of work procedures.
• VTG (Rail Europe Italia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership for railway highway (autostrada viaggiante) service, extending from the Adriatic corridor to Piedmont (Turin) and Friuli Venezia Giulia (Cervignano). VTG contributes international logistics expertise with strong railway focus.
• Trasporti F.lli PrimicericoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership for railway highway service as leading road transport company from Salento. Represents road transport sector collaboration with railway logistics for sustainable goods movement.
• Trenitalia S.p.A.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the largest railway operator in Italy for strengthening national connections between north and south, including Sicily, and international connections with Germany, France, and Austria. This partnership has been key to achieving significant traffic increases.
• ITS Academy Logistica PugliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRenewed partnership for railway transport technician training program. Two-year course of 1,800-2,000 hours including curriculum stage at partner companies. Free education with Erasmus+ opportunities for international experience.
• S.I.TO. Interporto di TorinominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for R2L Connector platform launch at Turin Interporto terminal, enabling railway transport access for all semitrailers including non-cranable units.
• RFI (Rete Ferroviaria Italiana)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFramework agreement (Accordo Quadro) for rail infrastructure access and terminal operations. RFI is the manager of national railway infrastructure enabling Lotras operations on Italian rail network.
• University of FoggiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration including scholarships for students in memory of Domenico Pio de Girolamo, guest lectures by management, and joint events like the Ryo 1981 Forever book presentation. Strengthening ties between academia and industry.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• VTG Aktiengesellschaft: European rail freight wagon leasing and logistics operator that partners with Lotras on the autostrada viaggiante (railway highway) service. VTG operates one of Europe's largest rail freight wagon fleets and competes directly with Lotras in intermodal services across Italy and Europe.
• TX Logistik: European rail freight operator owned by Trenitalia (same parent as one of Lotras's core partners). Operates freight rail services across Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, competing directly with Lotras on key north-south European corridors.
• Inrail S.p.A. Italian private rail freight operator providing intermodal and conventional freight services. Directly competes with Lotras in the Italian private rail freight market, particularly for general freight and intermodal services from Northern Italy to major industrial destinations.
• Hupac Intermodal: Swiss-based intermodal transport operator running combined road-rail services across Europe. Hupac and Lotras are both UIRR members and compete on cross-border intermodal corridors, particularly between Italy and Northern Europe, serving similar shipper customers.
• Kombiverkehr Deutsche Gesellschaft für kombinierten Güterverkehr: German operator of combined road-rail freight services and a fellow UIRR member. Operates comparable intermodal services across the German-speaking markets that Lotras reaches via its partnerships, with overlapping customer base in logistics and retail distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Mercitalia Rail (FS Italiane Group): The largest rail freight operator in Italy, part of the state-owned FS Italiane Group. Operates comparable freight rail services across the Italian network and competes with Lotras for intermodal and conventional freight contracts, particularly on the north-south corridors.
• CFI - Compagnia Ferroviaria Italiana: Italy's first private railway operator and current acquirer of Lotras (90% stake). Operates rail freight services across Italy and is now the parent company, making it the most direct strategic comparable and largest competitor in the private Italian rail freight market.
• DB Cargo Italia: Italian subsidiary of DB Cargo (Deutsche Bahn), one of Europe's largest rail freight operators. Competes with Lotras on Italian and cross-border corridors, particularly for industrial customers and intermodal services along the Adriatic corridor.
• Trenitalia: Italy's primary rail operator and a Core strategic partner of Lotras. While primarily passenger-focused, Trenitalia's freight division and broader rail logistics operations overlap with Lotras's network, and the partnership is critical to Lotras's service coverage.

Emerging players

• Greenmodal Transport: Italian intermodal transport operator providing combined road-rail services with a focus on sustainability. Competes with Lotras in the Italian intermodal market with comparable ESG positioning and serves similar retail distribution and industrial customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lotras1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lotras-srl

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lotras