📋 Tender Overview
The enhancement of the Palermo-Catania-Messina line will reduce travel times by 60 minutes between Catania and Palermo and by 30 minutes between Messina and Catania. The TBM Alessia has completed the excavation of the even track of the tunnel of the Taormina/Letojanni-Giampilieri lot on the new Messina-Catania line. Approximately 2.5 kilometers have been excavated with TBM for the Forza dAgro tunnel. The start of work for the excavation of the Letojanni tunnel, which is over 3.8 kilometers long, is next.
- A new milestone for mobility in Sicily: the consortium led by Webuild has completed the excavation of the first tunnel of the High Capacity railway doubling of the Messina-Catania line in Sicily. The demolition of the last diaphragm of the Forza dAgro tunnel, about 2.5 kilometers long, defines the progress of the Taormina/Letojanni-Giampilieri Lot, a project commissioned by RFI (FS Italiane Group) that is an integral part of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridor of the TEN-T network. Upon completion of the work, the doubling of the Messina-Catania line will allow for a significant reduction in travel times: 45 minutes between Messina and Catania and about 2 hours between Palermo and Catania, respectively 30 and 60 minutes less than current times, with tangible benefits for regional and long-distance rail transport, as well as for the competitiveness of the Sicilian economic system. The project is also funded with PNRR funds.
The lot is among the 20 projects that Webuild is carrying out in Southern Italy, with a total awarded value of about EUR16 billion, providing employment to 10,200 people, both direct and third-party, and with 7,500 direct suppliers involved since the start of work.
The construction site between Fiumefreddo (Catania) and Giampilieri (Messina) covers a total of 42.2 kilometers, of which 28.4 relate to the Taormina/Letojanni-Giampilieri lot, which includes the Forza dAgro tunnel. The new route, located further inland compared to the historic coastal line, aims to increase the resilience of the infrastructure in the long term. The lot includes 6 double-tube tunnels, 2 single-tube tunnels, and 7 viaducts. Among the major works is the Sciglio tunnel, which at over 9 kilometers will be the longest in the entire segment. To address a heterogeneous geological context, the TBMs use dual mode systems for adaptation to different terrains and Beam Scan technology for constant geotechnical monitoring during advancement.
The doubling of the Messina-Catania line, carried out by the consortium led by Webuild and participated by Pizzarotti, also involves SELI Overseas. The Groups company specialized in tunneling is engaged in the management of two of the three TBMs used on the lot, including the TBM Alessia that conducted the operation in the Forza dAgro tunnel. The TBM will be disassembled to be reused for the excavation of the Letojanni tunnel, which will extend over 3.8 kilometers.
The works on the Palermo-Catania-Messina route see Webuild engaged in six lots, after completing the first section Bicocca-Catenanuova in 2025. The new railway axis is part of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor of the TEN-T network, which will connect Northern Europe with the Mediterranean basin, ensuring the logistical-infrastructural centrality of Sicily in the continental transport system. Also in Sicily, the Group is also working on the Ragusa-Catania highway, a crucial corridor for the traffic of the eastern side of the island.
The ongoing projects have an impact on the infrastructural and economic development of the island, involving the local production chain. An approach that also promotes the training of technical and professional skills, leaving a lasting legacy for future generations. This is already demonstrated by the two high-tech factories for the production of segments for Sicilian railway tunnels in Belpasso, in the province of Catania, to which a new factory in Dittaino, in the province of Enna, has been added. An industrial commitment that goes hand in hand with that for training and hiring new personnel. The core of Webuilds training capacity is the practical training center in Belpasso, an innovative theoretical-practical learning space that allows, through the teaching of experienced internal staff, specialized external teachers, and the use of TBM machinery and simulators, to develop the skills necessary to operate with high standards of quality and safety.
