The project for the rail link to the Verona Airport will establish an intermodal connection between the “Catullo” Airport in Verona, the city of Verona, the eastern shore of Lake Garda, and the national rail network, in line with European directives aimed at increasing rail transport.
The overall project involves the construction of two new railway line sections connected to the existing infrastructure: the new link to the “Catullo” Airport between the existing Verona–Mantua and Brescia–Verona lines, and the link to the eastern shore of Lake Garda, branching off from the Brescia–Verona line.
The first will consist of a new double-track line, approximately 12 km long, branching off the Verona–Mantua line north of Dossobuono, passing under a few roads and the airport runway, running just north of Sommacampagna, and rejoining the Brescia–Verona line east of Peschiera del Garda.
Two passenger service stations will be built near the airport and Sommacampagna.
In addition, a single-track line with a speed limit of 60 km/h and a length of approximately 0.65 km will link the new airport line with the Mantua line.
The link to the eastern shore of Lake Garda will be on a 12 km long single-track, branching off the historic Brescia–Verona line, and including another 2 km long connection to the Peschiera del Garda station. This prime tourist route will have 3 intermediate stops/stations (Gardaland, Movieland and Lazise) and will end in Bardolino.
With effect from 12 March 2026, the date on which Decree-Law 32 (published in the Official Journal 58 of 11 March 2026) came into force, in accordance with Article 5 of that decree, the Chief Executive Officer of RFI S.p.A. has been appointed Extraordinary Commissioner.
Advantages
The project’s completion will bring the following benefits:
- Create an alternative to the current road transport system to reach the “Catullo” Airport and the cities along Lake Garda, thus increasing the service’s appeal.
- Ensure an adequate and efficient service to Verona’s “Catullo” Airport, in line with the expected growth in passenger traffic.
- Cover the eastern shore of Lake Garda to meet the needs of these major user destinations, which include both amusement parks and lakeside resorts, and create an alternative and more reliable transport system compared to the current road network, which suffers from severely congested traffic situations.
- Expand the existing transport links in the area, northwards (Verona–Brenner link, in turn connected to central and northern Europe), along the horizontal route (Turin-Milan–Venice–Trieste) and southwards (Verona–Bologna–Florence).
The main goal is optimising the multimodal transport network by improving access to the eastern shore of Lake Garda and to the airport, while encouraging the use of rail transport, as it offers greater capacity, lower operating costs and greater reliability. This optimisation will lead to a significant reduction in the multi-modal system's production costs, and in the environmental (emissions) and social (accidents and road congestion) impacts.
