The Grottaminarda tunnel through the Southern Apennines is the first of three tunnels on the Apice-Hirpinia lot, on the central section of the Naples-Bari route. Webuild will construct 18km of railway line, of which approximately 13km is underground.
Having broken through on the Grottaminarda tunnel, the 12.5m-diameter TBM Aurora is now being transferred to the other side of the Ufita River to being excavating the 4.4km-long Melito tunnel.
Webuild is responsible for four lots on the Rete Ferroviaria Italiana railway project – Naples-Cancell, Apice-Hirpinia, Hirpinia-Orsara and Orsara-Bovino – building more than 74km of new railway line, six tunnels, 10 viaducts and six stations and stops.
Excavation works have also started on the Rocchetta tunnel, the third tunnel on the section. TBM Futura was launched in July to build the 6.4km-long tunnel.
At the end of July, excavation works started on the even-numbered barrel of the 10km-long Orsara tunnel. By the end of the year, mechanised excavation of the odd-numbered barrel will also have started.
On the Naples-Cancello section, construction of the Casalnuovo tunnel in hyperbaric conditions also continues. Last month works to raise the last metal deck of the section were completed.
The 145km-long high-speed, high-capacity Naples-Bari railway line is an integral part of the TEN-T Trans-European network, Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor. It will halve journey times between Naples and Bari.
