On 17.07.2014 breakout was achieved at the Palermo end of the 4,127 m-long Monte Poggio Maria tunnel, part of the dualling of the 19.7 km Fiumetorto-Cefalu Ogliastrillo section on the Palermo-Messina line. The tunnel, from Lascari to Cefalu, is a single tube for two tracks excavated using drill/blast and/or hydraulic hammer. The geology along the alignment is composed of Tusa tuff, Reitano flysch and earthwork deposits.

The final 230 m of the section at the Cefalu end will be excavated by end-2014.

The new section, including the Himera bypass, which was prompted by discovery of archaeological finds along the original alignment, will be linked with the doubled 12.3 km of railway from Cefalu (Ogliastrillo) – Castelbuono, a design/construct contract being carried out by the JV led by Toto Costruzioni. This section includes three tunnels: the twin-tube 6.7 km-long Cefalu tunnel excavated using two 9.9 m-diameter TBMs; and the 4.3 km-long S. Ambrogio tunnel and the 135 m Malpertugio tunnel built by traditional methods. Work starts next month with six years’ duration. Click it/36 for tunnel builder archive. Visit http://www.fsnews.it/cms-instance/comunicati/fsnews/17_07_2014_CS_Galleria_Sicilia.pdf. 32/14.