Italferr is at the forefront of the investment program for infrastructure works included in the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan in order to upgrade and extend the national High-Speed/High-Capacity rail network and strengthen the regional rail network, with particular focus on southern Italy.
Italferr has been involved for several years in the design of the Turin-Lyon freight and passenger rail line that lies at the heart of the 'Mediterranean' Corridor of the TEN-T trans-European network. It connects the Iberian Peninsula to Eastern Europe, passing through Italy via the Turin-Trieste route. A central part of the new line is the 65 km long cross-border section that runs from Susa to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in France and crosses the Alps via the Mont Cenis base tunnel.
Italferr, that is currently engaged in Works Supervision activities for the Base Tunnel on the Italian and French sides in a grouping with Systra France and Pini Group (principals), has recently won two important bid for tenders called by TELT relating to the Works Supervision and Health & Safety Supervision services for the works at Operational Sites C01 - Bussoleno Interconnection Tunnel and Operational Site C02 - Open Works in the Susa Plain, belonging to the cross-border section, thereby completing its development on Italian soil.
Among the objectives that the construction of the work has set are: controlling road transit and promoting alternative transport to road transport on the French-Italian border (given that transalpine freight traffic has doubled in the last 30 years); promoting trade along the French-Italian axis, within the European TEN-T network, through the Mont Cenis base tunnel; enhancing the Turin rail freight hub; and developing metropolitan service in the city, with neighbouring territories and with the airport for passenger traffic.
Italferr is also involved in technological and infrastructural upgrading interventions on the Avigliana-Bussoleno section which is part of the broader project to upgrade the conventional Turin-Bardonecchia-Modane line. Among the planned interventions are the activation of a new train spacing system, the elimination of the level crossings present on the section, the renovation of electric traction systems, and the upgrading of the tracks, functional for the passage of trains up to 750 meters long.
Italferr is engaged in upgrading the Fortezza-Verona (Brenner) line. The intervention involves the European TEN-T Corridor "Scandinavia-Mediterranean," connecting Helsinki with Valletta, passing through Central Europe, the Tyrrhenian ridge and the main Sicilian cities, with a length of 9,400 km.
The project involves the construction of a new railway line, approximately 22.5 km long, including 15.4 km and 6.3 km respectively for the two twin-bore, single-track tunnels 'Scaleres' and 'Gardena', connecting Fortezza Station to Ponte Gardena Station. The two new tunnels will be connected by a viaduct section of line over the Eisack River.
The central Alpine part of this alignment consists of the Munich-Innsbruck Northern Access Line, the Brenner Base Tunnel, and the Fortezza-Verona Southern Access Line.
The Brenner Base Tunnel will run for a length of about 55 km between the stations of Fortezza (Italy) and Innsbruck (Austria), where it will travel underground in the existing bypass, which is also in a tunnel, reaching a total length of 64 km. Italferr was awarded by BBT the project management of the "Sottoattraversamento Isarco" (Isarco underpass) in the southern section of the tunnel. This is the most important construction lot so far contracted on Italian territory regarding the new railway tunnel, adjacent to the access to the Fortezza station.
The Southern Access line will run for a length of about 180 km between the stations of Fortezza (BZ) and Verona (VR) and will involve the quadrupling of the existing two tracks. The northern end of the project consists of Lot 1 'Fortezza - Ponte Gardena', which will run mainly through tunnels for a total length of 22.5 km.
With the new lines, freight traffic flows will be separated from passenger traffic flows and, among these, long-distance services from local services will be separated, with enormous benefits for travellers.
The technical-constructive features of the new rail link, particularly related to the drastic containment of gradients and the underground routing of the line between Verona and Innsbruck, will make it possible to mitigate the noise impact related to heavy traffic as well as to reduce traction energy consumption by up to 40%, with parallel reduction of CO2 emissions.
Rete Ferroviaria Italiana has entrusted Italferr with the task of Health & Safety Supervision (since November 2011, the date of signing of the Supplementary Deed) and Works Supervision (assignment taken on since May 2017) of the "Single Project - HS/HC Terzo Valico dei Giovi and Genoa Hub section", one of the most important railway infrastructure projects among those being executed in Italy today and that will allow to strengthen the connections of the Ligurian port system with Northern Italy's main railway lines and with the rest of Europe.
Within the framework of the "Single Project - HS/HC Terzo Valico dei Giovi and Genoa Hub section", on behalf of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, Italferr performs the role of Health & Safety Supervision (since November 2011, date of signing of the Integrative Deed) and Works Supervision (appointment taken on since May 2017) of the 'Terzo Valico', one of the most important railway infrastructure projects among those under execution in Italy today, which allows to strengthen the connections of the Ligurian port system with Northern Italy's main railway lines and with the rest of Europe.
The project involves the Rhine-Alpine Corridor, the most important European axis connecting north to south on which the largest volume of goods transported in Europe moves, crossing the countries with the greatest industrial vocation (the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Italy), joining the Mediterranean with the North Sea and the ports of the Upper Tyrrhenian Sea with those of Northern Europe - the Terzo Valico will make it possible to overcome the current obstacles to the development of rail transport between Genoa, Milan and Turin.
Consistent with the strategy of prioritising environmentally sustainable modes of transport, recently reaffirmed by the European Union via the Faro Initiative - COM(2011)21, the work will enable the transfer of substantial shares of freight traffic from road to rail, bringing environmental, safety and social benefits.
With Law 55/2019 ''Sblocca Cantieri'', the projects ''Voltri-Brignole infrastructural upgrading'', ''Milan-Genoa High-Speed/High-Capacity Railway Line: Terzo Valico dei Giovi'' and ''Genoa-Campasso upgrading'' were unified into a Single Project.
The new Terzo Valico dei Giovi HS line - 53 km long, 70% of which in tunnels - travels through three bored tunnels (Valico Tunnel, Serravalle Tunnel and Campasso Tunnel) and then runs in the open until the Pozzolo Artificial Tunnel and then travels, again in the open, to the junction with the existing Pozzolo-Tortona line (route to Milan). Inside the Serravalle Tunnel, the Novi Ligure interconnections branch off to make the connection to and from Turin on the existing Genoa-Turin line. On the Genoa side, inside the Valico Tunnel the Voltri interconnections branch off to allow the direct connection of the Terzo Valico with the Voltri rail link and thus with the port of Voltri and the Genoa-Ventimiglia line.
The Valico Tunnel, about 27 km long, will have four intermediate access secondary tunnels for both construction and safety reasons. In line with the most advanced safety standards, the lines running through the tunnels will largely be built in two single-track tunnels side by side and joined by cross connections every 500 m so that each can serve as a safety tunnel for the other.
The Genoa Railway Hub Upgrade aims, essentially, to separate traffic flows between regional and long-distance trains/freight, through the Genoa Voltri-Sampierdarena quadrupling and the Principe-Brignole sextupling projects. It will also allow connection to the Terzo Valico for freight trains originating in or destined for the Port of Genoa on the Voltri side, elimination of the Hub's bottlenecks, and increased supply and frequency of regional and metropolitan trains. The Genoa Campasso structure will serve the function of an effective freight yard in the Genoa historic port area, configuring itself as a true backport for traffic to and from the port by offering adequate capacity to assemble complete trains to be forwarded directly to their final destinations.
The project consists of the interventions concerning the connection of the Bivio Fegino-Campasso-Porto Storico railway section with the Terzo Valico and the Succursale dei Giovi line.
The upgrading of the Rome-Pescara route plays a key infrastructural role capable of establishing an efficient cross-Apennine connection, thereby healing the chronic shortage of railway lines in the territories concerned. The intervention aims to increase the efficiency of long-haul connection, with a view to improving and making competitive the offer of freight and passenger rail services, reducing travel time, increasing frequency and offering new intermodal travel solutions.
The Global Project includes the following sections, and the planned interventions contribute to the pursuit of important objectives defined at European and national levels:
Specifically, the Global Project contributes to 'Pillar 2 - Connecting the region', of the EUSAIR4 Strategy, aimed at developing a competitive and coordinated regional intermodal port system to the system of rail transport networks and intermodal hinterland connections for both freight and passengers, aiming to achieve a well interconnected and functioning internal market capable of supporting the three objectives of EU energy policy: competitiveness, secure supply and sustainability. The goal is to improve diagonal rail connections through the development, modernisation and speeding up of major rail axes. The interventions, in fact, aim to redress territorial imbalances resulting from the chronic lack of rail infrastructure in the territories concerned, identifying improved accessibility as one of the fundamental and priority factors for development.
Lunghezza-Guidonia section doubling
The intervention is part of the upgrading of the FM2 line on the Lunghezza-Guidonia section, which envisages the doubling of the Rome-Pescara railway line between the Lunghezza and Guidonia Stations for an extension equal to 9.5 km, the construction of the new Bagni di Tivoli stop and of the new Guidonia Collefiorito station, acoustic and environmental mitigation works and the elimination of the level crossings involved.
Tagliacozzo-Avezzano section doubling (lot 4)
The beginning of the intervention is set at about km 90+000 of the Rome-Sulmona railway line and extends, via route variant, for about 17.2 km of line. The route variant runs mostly parallel to the existing line, then intersecting it to go from south to north. The interventions pertaining to this lot, although not included within the scope of the NRRP, are in the design phase.
Pratola Peligna-Sulmona section doubling (lot 3)
The beginning of the intervention is set near the current Pratola Peligna station at Km 62+090 of the historic line and extends for just under 6 km, terminating in the vicinity of Sulmona station at Km 67+660. The project railway line is developed entirely in the open air and is built partly as a variant of the route and partly alongside the conventional line in operation. The interventions pertaining to this lot, although not included within the scope of the NRRP, are in the design phase.
Interporto d’Abruzzo-Manoppello section (lot 1) and Manopello-Scafa section (lot 2) doubling
The two lots are located in Abruzzo and run in the direction of Rome starting from the junction with Interporto d'Abruzzo (located shortly after the Chieti station). The works affect the municipalities of Chieti, Manoppello, Alanno, Rosciano and Scafa. Both lots consist in the doubling and speeding up of the historic line and are developed in the open and mainly alongside the existing track. The only variant section of significant length is developed in Lot 2 for about 3.3 km, at the overpass of the Pescara River and the A25 highway. Finally, in addition to the artefacts closely related to the railway line, new roads and/or adaptations of existing roads were built. The interventions pertaining to these lots, which are in the design phase, are included within the scope of the NRRP.
Other interventions concern the Rome-Tagliacozzo section, the Sulmona rail link and the Scafa-Pratola Peligna section.
The Orte-Falconara line constitutes the backbone of the Umbria-Marche railway system, providing a connection between the Milan-Rome backbone and the Bologna-Lecce line. The upgrading of rail supply on this line aims to generate greater attraction for users as a result of the increase in frequency and decrease in travel time resulting from the increase in capacity and speeding up of the route. This may result in a change on the current modal split between private and rail in favour of the latter. All this would result in a decrease in average road travel (private), generating several benefits for the users of the transportation system and the community, such as:
· Shorter travel time for Private Transport users
· Shorter travel time for existing Rail Transport users
· Reduction in accident occurrence
· Reduction in urban congestion
· Reduction in air pollution
· Reduction in climate change
· Reduction in noise emissions.
The upgrades involve doubling the railroad track, partly alongside and partly on new track, eliminating all existing level crossings, constructing the roadways connected with the line crossing works, upgrading stations and stops, renovating and upgrading technology through the construction of Electric Traction (TE) lines and of Signalling and Safety of Networked Traffic (IS) and Railway Telecommunications (TLC) systems.
The overall infrastructural upgrading project for the Orte-Falconara line includes - in addition to what Italferr has already carried out in previous years - interventions on the following rail sections:
Terni -Spoleto section doubling
The intervention, in the design phase, consists in the doubling of the Orte -Falconara line on the section between the Terni and Spoleto stations, for about 23 Km. To date, the project includes a long tunnel of about 19Km; the open section on the Terni side has a development of about 1 Km, while the open section on the Spoleto side is about 3 Km long.
Spoleto-Campello section doubling
The intervention, currently under construction, involves a 9.7 km long section, of which 6.2 km via doubling the track alongside the existing one and 3.5 km via doubling with a variant in a cut&cover tunnel. It also provides for the PRG adaptation of the Spoleto station, the construction of a new underpass and new sidewalks in the Campello station. The track speed, in an initial section about 2.6 Km long, will be 140 Km/h and for the rest of the intervention will be 160 Km/h with a maximum longitudinal gradient of 120/00.
PM228-Castelplanio section doubling
The doubling of the PM228-Castelplanio section, extending for a total of 21.5 km, is divided into the 3 functional lots "PM228-Genga," "Genga-Serra San Quirico," and "Serra San Quirico-Castelplanio". Interventions on Lot No. 2 "Genga-Serra San Quirico section" currently in the design phase, are a priority and are included in the projects under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). Interventions on lots No. 1 "Tratta PM228-Genga" and No. 3 "Tratta Serra San Quirico-Castelplanio" although not included in the NRRP, are also in the design phase.
Italferr's commitment is to provide services involving design, Works Supervision, process coordination and support to the RFI Contracting Authority for the construction of the new Naples-Bari link, a strategic work envisaged by the 'Sblocca Italia' Decree Law, financed with NRRP funds and an integral part of Core Corridor No. 5 "Scandinavian-Mediterranean (Helsinki-La Valletta)".
The new HS/HC line represents the first and most advanced work being carried out by the FS Group's Infrastructure Hub to upgrade the rail network in southern Italy. Its completion speeds up the direct cross-connection between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic seas, improving the connections of Puglia and the innermost provinces of Campania with the Milan-Rome-Naples HS/HC backbone.
The work envisages the upgrading of the current Naples-Bari line through both differentiated infrastructural interventions for the different sections of the line (speeding up, doubling, variants to the current route) and widespread technological interventions for the strengthening and upgrading of the network's equipment with latest-generation equipment and systems capable of increasing its capacity and speed.
The Naples-Cancello Variant constitutes the first segment of the Naples-Bari route and embodies the integration of the historic lines with the High Speed system by fitting in the new Napoli Afragola station.
With the breaking down of the last diaphragm joining the two excavation fronts of the Monte Aglio tunnel, the construction of the 4 km-long tunnel joining Maddaloni with Valle di Maddaloni has been completed. Thanks to this achievement, along with the completion of the other civil engineering operations along the section, with the first phase of activation of the Cancello-Frasso Telesino, line by 2024 it will be possible to achieve the direct link between Naples and Bari by taking advantage of the interconnections with the existing Rome-Naples line via Cassino.
Upon completion of the work on the last Hirpinia-Orsara lot, travel times for connections between Rome, Naples and Puglia will be just 2 hours to move between the two major cities in Southern Italy, only 3 hours between Rome and Bari, and 4 hours for connections from Lecce and Taranto to Rome.
Excluding the works already completed - the Naples/Afragola Interchange Hub and the Bovino-Cervaro lot - the intervention as a whole envisages the construction of 121 km of double-track line with the realisation of several artefacts. In detail, 9 tunnels will be built to cross the Apennines for a total length of about 63 kilometers, 25 viaducts for an extension of about 12 kilometers and about 46 kilometers of railway embankment. As many as 14 new stations and stops along the route will be constructed.
Next steps in our Works Supervision activities:
· doubling by variant route of the Apice-Orsara section
· doubling of the Orsara-Bovino section
· Bari Hub, Bari Centrale and Bari Torre a Mare variant
In the design of the work, the reuse of resources rather than their disposal was favoured wherever possible, the redevelopment of degraded territories (disused quarries, depressed areas, etc.) was promoted, and an integrated design was developed for the insertion of the work and construction sites into the landscape.
Italferr is engaged in the design of the new Salerno-Reggio Calabria HS line, an example of sustainable infrastructure. The work constitutes the continuity of a strategic passenger and freight route for the connection between the south of the peninsula and the north through the dorsal corridor, Italy's main axis. The new line will increase levels of accessibility to the HS network for several areas of high territorial value such as Cilento and Vallo di Diano, the Ionian coast, the upper and lower Cosentino, the Gioia Tauro Port area, and the Reggino area, as well as the speeding up of connections towards Potenza, towards Sicily, towards the territories of Calabria on the Ionian Sea (Sibari, Crotone) and towards Cosenza and, at the same time, it will contribute significantly to the strengthening of the Gioia Tauro-Paola-Bari freight route (Adriatic corridor).
Several route scenarios were considered, which ultimately led to the identification of seven functional lots:
The entire project, when completed, will consist of 450 kilometers of railway line and will significantly reduce travel time, which will be 3 hours and 40 minutes from Rome to Reggio Calabria. The new infrastructure will allow for increased freight traffic at the port of Gioia Tauro and will also allow for the development of new passenger flows along the country's north-south axis, which will also benefit connections to and from Sicily.
BENEFITS
· Reduced travel time (to several destinations)
· Accessibility to the rail network (through new line stops, interconnections)
· Modal interchange (to ports and airports)
· Freight network integration (resolution of current infrastructure limitations and integration with ongoing or planned interventions)
· Environmental, implementation and financial sustainability (within the limits of the severe characteristics of the territories crossed).
Italferr's commitment is to provide services involving design, Works Supervision, process coordination and support to the RFI Contracting Authority for the construction of the new Palermo-Catania-Messina connection, a strategic infrastructure that is an integral part of Core Corridor No. 5 "Scandinavian-Mediterranean (Helsinki-La Valletta)."
The intervention, a strategic project previously included within the scope of Law 164/2014 (so-called "Sblocca Italia"), is included among those whose realisation also finds funding, in part, in the resources provided by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) and is included in Annex IV to DL No. 77/2021 converted, with amendments, into Law No. 108/2021. For the "Realisation of the Palermo-Catania-Messina railway axis," an Extraordinary Commissioner was appointed, moreover, by Prime Minister's Decree of 16 April 2021, pursuant to Article 4, § 1, of Decree-Law No. 32/2019, converted with amendments by Law No. 55/2019.
The materialisation of the main planned investments will make it possible to ensure interconnection and interoperability within the TEN-T Trans-European Corridors and to connect the urban centres with the highest population densities with the inland and coastal areas of Sicily and the related services, ensuring adequate mobility to passengers and goods and connecting the Ionian and Tyrrhenian backbones with important time savings and advantages regarding general transport safety.
The program envisages speeding up and upgrading interventions via the construction of the electrified line mainly on new track, including double track, complying with the interoperability requirements dictated by the European Union and with features that will allow it to reach speeds of 200 km/h. In particular, the planned interventions are: track-doubling of the Giampilieri-Fiumefreddo section, the Catania Hub, the new Bicocca-Fiumetorto axis including track-doubling of the Bicocca-Catenanuova, Caltanissetta Xirbi-Nuova Enna and Vallelunga-Fiumetorto sections.
In addition, several infrastructural and technological interventions have been initiated and for the most part already set in operation, also related to the realisation of the route: doubling of the Catania Ognina-Catania Centrale section (Catania Hub), doubling of the Fiumetorto-Castelbuono section, Palermo Hub, and technological upgrades for the speeding up of the Messina-Syracuse, Palermo-Messina and Palermo-Catania backbones.
BENEFITS
· Reduced travel time
· Increased quality of rail services
· Increased Capacity/Traffic
· CO2 emission reduction
· Traffic decongestion in major urban and suburban areas involved
· Improved accessibility to major urban centres
· An integrated network among the island's main infrastructures: airports of Palermo, Catania; ports of Palermo, Termini Imerese, Augusta, Catania and Messina; Termini Imerese and Bicocca interports; highways and secondary railway lines
· Development of the logistics platform in Sicily for the transport of goods
· Optimisation of passenger and freight transportation costs
· Industrial, social and cultural spillovers due to the general improvement in services.
Italferr is engaged in the activities of Design, Project Management and Works Supervision for the implementation on the entire national network of the ERTMS - European Rail Transport Management System.
The investment aims to upgrade rail transport safety and signalling systems by extending the European Management System in order to ensure greater safety, capacity and maintenance in the areas of interest.
NRRP OBJECTIVES
The project now includes two multi-technology Framework Agreements, awarded by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana and financed in part by NRRP funds.
The first Agreement covers about 700 kilometers of railway lines. Specifically, about 480 kilometers of tracks in Sicily, 150 kilometers of the former Ferrovia Centrale Umbra and 80 kilometers of the Roccasecca-Avezzano line will be equipped with the new ERTMS technology.
The second Agreement involves 4,220 kilometers of high-speed and regional railway lines. Specifically, about 1,885 kilometers of lines in Central-Northern Italy, 1,400 kilometers of lines in Central-Southern Italy, 530 kilometers in Central Italy and 405 kilometers in Southern Italy will be equipped with the new ERTMS technology.
The interventions will meet the two targets set by the European Union under the NRRP, namely equipping 1,400 km of railway lines with ERTMS by 2024 and an additional 2,000 km by 2026. This fits within the ERTMS PLAN that envisages the implementation of the new technology on the entire national network by 2036.