Early on, ambitious investment programmes for the acquisition of large numbers of new locomotives and rolling stock were launched; this new fleet would facilitate the ultimate goal of pursuing international freight services and other logistical opportunities across the European Union.

It is also exploring the use of digital sensor technology to enhance its operations, the potential use of bi-mode traction, and expanding its intermodal traffic between maritime and rail mediums.

[3][4] During February 2017, FSI announced its long-term investment plans for Mercitalia, under which roughly €1.5 billion would be provided across its first decade of operation; this capital injection was to be largely allocated towards the procurement of new locomotives and rolling stock.

[13] In December 2018, it was announced that Mercitalia had acquired a 50 percent stage in POL-Rail, a Polish rail freight transport company that specialised in services between Italy and Central and Eastern Europe, from the Polish State Railways (PKP); the deal, which also involved the acquisition of its smaller subsidiary Rom Rail, was framed by Mercitalia Logistics's managing director, Marco Gosso, as a key move in the development in extending the company's control over the value chain of logistics services and strengthen its presence on the traffic axis between Italy and Eastern Europe which offers substantial development prospects.

[14] In July 2019, the company spoke out against the inaction of various infrastructure management officials, stating that action was necessary to making rail-based freight more successful and enable some routes to be conducted at all.

[16] In November 2022, it was announced that Mercitalia intended to order an additional 400 locomotives, comprising both electric and bi-mode traction, along with 3,600 next-generation freight wagons as a part of its ongoing fleet renewal strategy.