Astaldi-led JV Wins Contract for Line C of Rome Metro with EUR2.17 Billion BidA joint venture headed by Astaldi will design and build the new Line C of the Rome metro, a driverless fully automatic line. With a discount of nearly EUR330 million on the tender estimate of EUR2.5 billion, the JV won the second biggest tender ever invited in Italy after the Strait of Messina bridge. Astaldi holds 34.5% of the JV, which also includes Vianini Lavori (34.5%), CCC (17%) and Ansaldo Trasporti Sistemi Ferroviari (14%), who will supply the automatic railway technology for about EUR400 million. Not only Astaldi and his partners offered the best price but also the shortest construction period (620 days less). The successful grouping also proposed the best technical bid. The bidding result will be reviewed by Roma Metropolitane's board on 28th February.The full line is divided in six sections (T2, T3, T4, T5, T6A e T7) and will intersect with Line A in Ottaviano and Line B in Colosseo. The first phase (sections T4 and T5 spanning 7,248 metres, out of a total of 25.4 km, with nine stations from San Giovanni to Alessandrino) will be completed by the end of 2010 instead of end of 2012. Commissioning of the entire line, first programmed for 2015, could be opened ahead of schedule in 2013. The Astaldi-led JV is the general contractor, which implies they will pre-finance 20% of the project and subcontract to third parties works and supplies for a value of EUR1,868 million.The second phase to enter in service will be sections Venezia-San Giovanni (T3), Alessandrino-Torre Angela (T6A) and Torre Angela-Pantano (T7). The final phase to enter in service will be section T2 Clodio/Mazzini-Venezia. The entire line from Clodio/Mazzini to Pantano will then be opened at that time, spanning 25,370 m with service to 30 stations.The project will be organized so that the worksites minimise the impact on urban life. For tunnelling, the method employed will be EPB or slurry shield machines which carve the tunnel and install precast concrete segments. Sections T4, T5 and T6A will consist of standard twin single-track tunnels (ID of 5.80 m for a total length of 20,874 m) and sections T2 and T3 comprise two single-track tunnels of greater dimension (ID of 8.80 m for a total length of 14,152 m) which will be mined. The excavated material will be transported mainly at night.As part of the construction of the new line, several facilities will be integrated into the project, one of them being a 3,000 sq m museum under Via dei Fori Imperiali. The first work will be drilling for ground samples to define the executive design.In the future, extensions are planned. From Clodio/Mazzini, northwest of the city, section T1 will cross the Tiber two times to reach Vigna Clara further north (six stations) and from Teano in Centocelle area, a third branch (C1) will head northeast to Prenestina to connect with Ponte Mammolo station on Line B.The scheme will be financed by the government (70%) and by the city of Rome (18%) and the Lazio region (12%) for the remainder. Click here for a presentation of the project (in Italian). Read E-News Weekly 45/2004. Click it/14. Visit www.romametropolitane.it to view two videos of the project and www.astaldi.it 08/06.