Webuild has marked two tunnelling milestones for Sicily’s Messina-Catania railway line.
TBM Letteria has completed excavation of the first 2.7km-long tube of the Scaletta Tunnel, near Giampilieri, and TBM Alessia has been launched for the first tube of the Latojanni Tunnel, which will be more than 3.8km long.
Webuild says completion of the first tube of the Scaletta tunnel is a key moment for Lot 2 Letojanni- Giampilieri which accounts for more than 28km of new double-track line.
TBM Letterìa, which is 135m long and has a 9m diameter, has crossed the metropolitan area of Messina, where the route connects to Giampilieri station.
In February, TBM Alessia completed tunnelling for the nearly 2.5km-long Forza d’Agrò tunnel. The machine was then dismantled, transported along a 90m viaduct suspended over the Fondaco Parrino stream, and reassembled at the entrance of the new Letojanni Tunnel.
Also on the project, two industrial plants in Belpasso, on the slopes of Mount Etna, are now operational, producing prefabricated tunnel lining segments. A third facility in Dittaino, in the province of Enna, is also supporting the project.
Webuild also has a tunnelling training centre in Belpasso.
