Italferr awarded to SIS, Sintagma and Geodata the tender to build the Palermo-Orleans-Carini railway dualling in Sicily. SIS is a company jointly owned by Sacyr Vallehermoso (60%) and Inc general contractor SpA and Sipal (40%). The contract is worth EUR665 million. The project, known as Passante ferroviario, requires to double the Palermo Centrale-Carini line, improve stations or sink underground several of these (Tommasso Natale, Vespri, Palazzo di Giustizia, Lolli, Notarbartolo). The sections which must be dualled are Palermo Centrale-Bivio Oreto-Orleans-Notarbartolo-Belgio-Cardillo-Isola delle Femmine-Carini, Palermo Centrale-Brancaccio and Brancaccio-Bivio Oreto. On the 19 km line, 8 km will be built underground to cross the city of Palermo. Out of these, 1.22 km will be driven using a 9.3 m-diameter mixshield TBM in sands and calcareous sands. The remaining 6.8 km will be built using the cut-and-cover method. Time frame for construction: five years and two months. Subscribe to 24/2003. Visit www.gruposyv.com 49/04.Systra, Ineco, Lombardi-Reico Ingegneria and Technical secured a EUR6 million contract for the preliminary project, safety recommendations, environmental impact study, geological and geotechnical surveying and testing, as part of the Oreto-Notarbartolo section of the light rail in Palermo. This 7 km section runs fully underground and includes ten stops (Svincolo Oreto, Oreto Sud, Oreto Nord, Piazza Giulio Cesare, Piazza Borsa, Teatro Massimo, Politeama, Via Archimede, Piazza Alberigo Gentili and Stazione Notarbartolo). Click it/109. Visit www.systra.com 28/05.