Palermo - Catania - Messina line

RFI puts out tender for fresh section of Sicily railway

The proposed Vallelunga that will be constructed as part of the package. 2022, RFI

Italian railway manager Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) has launched a tender for the construction of a new section of the Palermo – Catania – Messina route on the island of Sicily. The package carries a value of 1.7 billion euros, of which 470 million euros will be financed by Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience fund.

Once completed, the new line will ensure a reduced of travel time between Palermo and Catania to under 2 hours, RFI says. The new tender calls for the construction of the 47-kilometre section between Caltanissetta Xirbi and Lercara as a variant to the current line. It will consist of 10 kilometres of viaducts and 8 tunnels for a total of 21 kilometres. The tender also includes the construction of stations in Vallelunga, Marcatobianco, Marianopoli and San Cataldo.

Last month, RFI awarded the 616-million-euro tender for the Enna-Dittaino section of the Palermo-Catania-Messina line to a consortium headed by the Webuild group and Impresa Pizzarotti. The section of railway is called ‘Lot 4b’ and has a total length of 15 kilometres. Despite the relatively short length, the construction effort calls for 3 tunnels for a total length of 8,5 kilometres, and 5 viaducts for a combined length of 2 kilometres.

The Palermo – Catania – Messina route is included in the international Scandinavia – Mediterranean Corridor, and has been identified as a national priority of the Trans European Network (TEN-T). The design approach chosen is that of high-speed ​​and high capacity, with the main objective speeding up of the current line with an electrified double track connection that allows trains to reach a maximum speed of 250 kilometres per hour. A frequency of up to 180 to 200 trains a day should be possible. It should also boost the increase of goods transport via rail in Sicily.

Further reading:

Author: Nick Augusteijn

Former Chief Editor of RailTech.com

1 comment op “RFI puts out tender for fresh section of Sicily railway”

bönström bönström|09.11.22|13:52

Interesting indeed!
Further details about technique should be valuable –
at transit zones…- and in tunnels, etc., etc.?

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