Webuild has announced the completion of excavation work on the Caterina Tunnel, the first tunnel completed on Section 1A of the future Salerno–Reggio Calabria high-speed/high-capacity railway line, a strategic project designed to connect southern Italy with the north of the country and the rest of Europe. Work on this section is being carried out by a consortium led by Webuild, under a contract with RFI, the railway infrastructure company within the FS Italiane group.
The Caterina Tunnel is over one kilometer long and was excavated using the TBM Mireille, in terrain described by the company as geologically challenging.
The first tunnel completed on Lot 1A
According to Webuild, the Mireille TBM weighs 1,200 tons and is equipped with a cutting wheel with a diameter of over 10 meters. The machine is powered by 11 engines, with a total power of 3,850 kW, and its operation and maintenance required over 100 specialized technicians, who worked continuously, seven days a week.
The company also notes that Mireille was the first TBM refurbished at a Webuild facility in Umbria, designed to extend the life of large excavation machines in line with the circular economy. Before arriving in Italy, the machine had been used on the Grand Paris Express project.
The Mireille TBM will be moved to the Sicignano tunnel
Following the completion of the Caterina tunnel, Mireille is set to be relocated approximately 400 meters to the future entrance of the Sicignano tunnel, where it will excavate a section of over 2.5 kilometers.
Webuild describes this phase as a new important step toward completing the 35-kilometer railway section between Battipaglia and Romagnano, in the province of Salerno.
Work is also progressing on other fronts
On Lot 1A, the construction site has entered an intensive phase of execution. In parallel with the work of the Mireille TBM, excavation continues on the Cerreta tunnel, 450 meters long, using traditional methods.
At the same time, work is underway on the abutments and piers of the future viaducts, ahead of the installation of the massive steel decks that will allow the TBMs to move to the next work sites after the current tunnels are completed.
Three other TBMs are working on the same section
Three other large TBMs are also operating on Section 1A: Partenope, Leucosia, and Ligea. According to Webuild, these have cutting heads with a diameter of over 13 meters and are the largest TBMs the group has in operation in Europe.
The company says their names refer to the myth of the sirens of the Gulf of Salerno. Beyond the symbolic aspect, the three machines are working simultaneously on several tunnels within the lot: For this work, Webuild says it relies on a team of over 300 specialized technicians.
- Partenope is excavating the Saginara tunnel, 3 kilometers long, between Campagna and Contursi Terme;
- Leucosia is working on the Serra Lunga tunnel, over 800 meters long, after which it will continue with the Acerra (250 meters) and Petrolla (over 1.2 kilometers) tunnels;
- Ligea is excavating the Piano Grasso tunnel, 2.2 kilometers long, before moving on to the Contursi tunnel, 1.5 kilometers long.
20 tunnels and 19 viaducts on Lot 1A
Lot 1A is being carried out by the Xenia consortium, consisting of Webuild as the lead contractor, together with Pizzarotti, Ghella, and Tunnel Pro. The section is located in the province of Salerno and includes, among other things, the construction of 20 tunnels, of which 8 will be excavated using the four TBMs, as well as 19 viaducts.
According to the company, the project currently involves over 1,400 people, including direct employees and subcontractor staff, and a network of over 500 suppliers since work began.
Part of a strategic European corridor
The Salerno–Reggio Calabria line is presented as a strategic axis of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor within the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
On the same corridor, Webuild was also awarded the contract for the Cosenza–Paola/San Lucido project, which involves the construction of over 22 kilometers of new track, including the Santomarco tunnel, the project’s main structure, which is 15 kilometers long.
The company says that the two sections of the Salerno–Reggio Calabria project are part of the 21 projects it is carrying out in southern Italy, with a total contract value of over EUR 16 billion. In total, the group is set to build approximately 60 kilometers of new infrastructure on this high-speed/high-capacity line.
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