Construction of southern Italy’s Salerno–Reggio Calabria high-speed/high-capacity railway has reached two major milestones, with excavation completed on the Serra Lunga Tunnel and work beginning on the Sicignano Tunnel.
The developments are part of Lot 1A Battipaglia–Romagnano, where Consorzio Xenia, comprising Webuild, FS Rail Construction, Ghella and Tunnel Pro, is building around 35km of new railway on behalf of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI), part of the FS Italiane Group.
TBM Leucosia excavated the 800m-long Serra Lunga Tunnel between Eboli and Campagna. The 13m-diameter machine is one of three TBMs currently operating on Lot 1A, and one of the largest in operation by Webuild in Europe. In total, four TBMs are being deployed on the project.
Working through challenging and variable geological conditions, TBM Leucosia achieved peak excavation rates of around 15m per day and installed more than 2,900 precast concrete segments.
In the coming months, Leucosia will be moved across a viaduct to the next excavation front: the 224m-long Acerra tunnel. It will subsequently excavate the 1.2km-long Petrolla tunnel, which will be connected to Acerra by a railway viaduct.
Serra Lunga is the second of eight natural tunnels on Lot 1A to be completed using TBMs, following the Caterina Tunnel. That tunnel was excavated by TBM Mireille, which previously operated on Line 16 of the Grand Paris Express before being refurbished by Webuild at its facility in Terni.
After being moved around 400m, Mireille has now reached the entrance to the Sicignano Tunnel. It will excavate more than 2.5km through the hills of the Sele Valley between Buccino and Sicignano degli Alburni.
Work also continues elsewhere on Lot 1A. TBM Partenope is excavating the 3km Saginara Tunnel, one of the most demanding sections of the route, while TBM Ligea is working on the 2.2km Piano Grasso Tunnel before moving on to the 1.5km Contursi Tunnel. The two tunnels will be connected by viaducts.
Progress is also being made on other construction activities. A steel deck weighing more than 800 tonnes has been installed on the viaduct that will enable Leucosia to reach the Acerra Tunnel. A second viaduct, weighing more than 1,300 tonnes, has also been prepared for the TBM’s subsequent move towards Petrolla.
Excavation using the Milan Method has started on two of the eight cut-and-cover tunnels, each approximately 1.3km long. Excavation is also under way on the 450m-long Cerreta natural tunnel, using conventional methods.
Lot 1A involves the construction of 20 tunnels and 19 viaducts.
