The works of RFI-Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (Leading Company of the FS Group Infrastructure Hub) for the major projects in Southern Italy continues at full speed. On 23 July the launch ceremony of the three TBMs Futura, Marina and Lucia took place at the Apice construction site (Benevento): the first two TBMs ready to begin excavating the tunnel of the Southern Apennines (Appennino Meridionale) in the Rochetta and Orsara tunnel along the Naples-Bari HS/HC railway line and the third will be used in Sicily for the Taormina tunnel on the Catania-Messina railway.
The new Naples-Bari line and the Palermo-Catania-Messina line are included in the ‘’Cantieri Parlanti projects’’, created by the FS Group in collaboration with the MIT, to transparently describe the activities and benefits of the new infrastructures through public initiatives, info points and a web page dedicated to strategic works.
Naples-Bari HS/HC railway line
Along the Naples-Bari railway line, TBM Futura - with its cutting head measuring over 12 m in diameter and driven by 18 motors that generate a total power of 3 Mw - has started excavating the single-tube, double-track Rocchetta tunnel (6,4 km) in Apice (BN) on the Apice-Hirpinia section. It will work 24 hours a day, seven days a week and it will also install the waterproof lining of the tunnel during the advancement phase. It is the second TBM started on the same section after Aurora, which has already excavated approximately 90% of the Grottaminarda tunnel. The 628 million euros contract for the construction of the Apice-Hirpinia section, was awarded by RFI to the Hirpinia AV Consortium (Webuild), under the Works Management of Italferr.
At the same time, the TBM named Marina - with a cutting-head of 9 m in diameter driven by 11 motors that generate a power of 3 MW - has begun excavation. This is from the Bari side entrance of the first of the two tubes (the even tube) of the Orsara tunnel (10 km). The TBM will work 24 hours a day, seven days a week; it will advance 12 m/day installing the precast concrete segments for the final tunnel lining. The mechanized excavation of the odd tube of the Orsara tunnel is scheduled to begin by the end of the year.
The approximately 562 million euros contract for works on the 11.8km Orsara-Bovino section was awarded by RFI to the Orsara-Bovino AV Consortium (Webuild and Pizzarotti), under the Works Management of Italferr.
The doubling of the Apice-Orsara and Orsara-Bovino sections is developed completely as a variant with respect to the existing line. In particular, the doubling of the Apice-Orsara section extends for about 47 km, 80% of which in tunnels, and it includes the construction of a new station serving Irpinia, as well as two stops, and the elimination of fifteen level crossings; the doubling of the Orsara-Bovino section extends for about 12 km, 80% of which in tunnel, with the elimination of four level crossings.
AC Palermo-Catania-Messina line
Also on 23 July, the TBM Lucia began excavating in Trappitello (ME) the odd track of the Taormina tunnel, a double-bore tunnel, 6,133 m long and with an excavation diameter of 9.16 m, as part of the railway doubling of the Messina-Catania line, Giampilieri-Fiumefreddo, Taormina-Fiumefreddo section lot 1. Lucia joins the Igea TBM already operational since April 2024: it is the second of the five TBMs involved in the project to doubling the Giampilieri-Fiumefreddo section, along the Palermo-Catania-Messina route. The project is part of the enhancement works on the Palermo-Catania-Messina connection and will complete the doubling of the railway line between Messina and Catania, through the construction of 42 km of new double track, of which approximately 37 km underground and in variation with respect to the current line.
The project for the completion of the doubling of the Messina-Catania line is divided into two lots: the first, from Fiumefreddo to Taormina, extends along a route of about 15 km with two viaducts, three tunnels, for a total of about 11 km, an artificial tunnel of 1 km, the new Taormina station and the two stops Fiumefreddo-Calatabiano and Alcantara-Giardini Naxos. The second lot includes 28 km of new double-track line, with six viaducts for about 2 km, eight tunnels for about 25 km underground, two stations and two stops.
The speeding up of the Messina-Catania-Palermo route, a project by RFI with the direction of works by Italferr, worth approximately 12 billion euros, will ensure compliance with interoperability requirements and will allow for significant growth in the competitiveness of rail passenger transport, responding to mobility needs in terms of reduced travel times, regularity and frequency.
Work is currently underway on all lots of the new Palermo-Catania route, for a total length of 179 km.
