Page 11 - Investing in Bergamo EN

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BERGAMO
THE HUB OF ITALIAN MANUFACTURING

Northern Italy is one of the biggest manufacturing centres in the world with 3 million
people employed in the secondary sector (2012). In the same year, the industry
produced a value added of 225 million euros, of which 156.1 in transformation
activities. In Northern Italy, the manufacturing industry accounts for two-thirds of
GPD and 60% of employment in Italy. The centre of this vast area is located halfway
between Bergamo and Brescia. This centrality comes from its geographic position
midway between the east and west boundaries of Italy, and also from its industrial
specialisation and infrastructures.
The network of connections is based on the A4 Turin-Venice-Trieste motorway (the
Milan-Bergamo section was opened in 1927) where an average of 140 thousand
vehicles circulate per day; 20% coming from or heading to the five exits of the province.
Last year saw the opening of the Milan-Brescia (Bre.Be.Mi) direct route that crosses
the plain. Planned investments and projects are underway to complete the road system
with a fast connection between the A4 and Bre.Be.Mi. and their connection with the
Pedemontana (Varese-Bergamo).
The suburban roads measure over 1,300 km with a very narrow grid and are organised
around the ring that borders the vast area of Milan on which are joined the routes that
run through the three main valleys.
The rail transport network is not widespread and requires modernisation because Milan
cannot be reached from the Turin-Venice highway that crosses the southern part of the
province. Consequently, transportation by train is primarily regional in scope.
Investments have been allocated to improve the rail transport network, especially along
corridor 5, where plans are underway to create a freight terminal (in the town of
Caravaggio) which will serve the entire eastern side of Lombardy and complete the offer
of rail freight transport currently based on a goods station, and which is in the process
of being relocated. A fast connection between the airports of Bergamo and Milan is
also planned. The positive experience (in terms of management costs and users) of the
partial restoration of the railway system in the valleys reproposes the expansion of the
current light rail network to serve both the urban and suburban areas.
The strategic asset of the province is the Caravaggio International Airport of Orio
Serio, fourth busiest airport in Italy with a forecast of 10 million passengers in 2015
and the third largest in terms of cargo movements (123 thousand tons). Its growth
is much faster than the European average due to the revolution of low-costs flights
and Bergamo’s ability to create a “made-to-measure” airport, and to the consequent
choice of Ryanair to make this airport its main hub in Italy. This decision was recently
confirmed until 2020.
With its allied industries (all the major international couriers operate there), the airport
accounts for almost 10% of the province’s GDP and employs about 20 thousand people.