On 15 May 2023 the official ceremony was held for the beginning of the construction of the Florence high-speed bypass which included the new high-speed station Firenze Belfiore.
The works under the Italferr Works Management, involve the excavation of two parallel tunnels, one in each direction, about 7 km long and 20 m deep, connected to each other with cross passages every 500 m, between the station of Firenze Campo di Marte and the area of viale XI Agosto, located between the stations of Firenze Rifredi and Firenze Castello.
In order to optimize the work phases, the tunnels will be built with two TBMs launched at different times so as not to be operational at the same time. The first TBM launched today - weighing 1500 t, excavation diameter 9.4 m -it will advance approximately 12 m/day. On 28 November 2022, RFI awarded the completion of the works to the Florentia Consortium, composed of Pizzarotti and Saipem. In the meantime, the Infrarail company carried out "revamping" activities of the TBM: machine disassembly, overhaul, component replacement and reassembly.
The railway undercrossing will allow a separation of flows between regional and high-speed trains, bringing enormous benefits to people, to economic and tourist activities, to local and metropolitan mobility.
Along the underground route, at less than 25 m from the roadway in the via Circondaria area, the new Firenze Belfiore high-speed station will also be built. The new station - designed by Foster architecture and the engineering company Ove Arup & Partners - will be interconnected with Firenze Santa Maria Novella station and with the urban area thanks to various modes of transport: the new people-mover, line 2 of the city tram system already in operation and the urban buses, suitably upgraded.
Initiatives have been undertaken to contain emissions, developing projects and arranging eco-sustainable processes that can benefit from "green" equipment and vehicles, with hybrid and, in some cases, electric engines. The muck coming from the excavations (tunnels and station) will be transported by train and reused for the redevelopment and landscape enhancement of a former lignite quarry, owned by ENEL, in Santa Barbara, in the Valdarno.
During the progress of the works, the specially reconstructed Environmental Observatory will constitute a further element of support for the control of the environmental aspects related to the construction site activities (atmosphere, noise and vibration, groundwater and surface water, electromagnetic fields, etc.), also through ARPAT.
For further on the project click here and it/22 for tunnelbuilder archive. Visit https://www.rfi.it/ and https://www.italferr.it/. 20/23.
