Italian construction company Webuild has completed underground excavation for the first functional lot of the Verona-Bivio Vicenza HS/HC railway.
The project, part of the 76.5km Verona-Padua HS/HC line, is now 60% finished.
The project is being built by the IRICAV DUE consortium, with Webuild Group holding an 83% stake and Hitachi Rail STS owning the remaining 17%. The total project cost is estimated at approximately €5bn.
The IRICAV Due General Contractor achieved a key milestone with the breakthrough of the final diaphragm of the artificial tunnel beneath the A4 Motorway in San Martino Buon Albergo, near Verona, Italy.
According to Webuild, advanced engineering techniques were used during excavation to minimise surface activities and reduce the impact on daily life while ensuring stability and safety. The route passes under key infrastructures, including the A4 Motorway, the new ‘Verona Est’ motorway exit, the Southern Verona ring road, and related junctions.
The project, commissioned by RFI (FS Group) and supervised by Extraordinary Commissioner Vincenzo Macello, has its High Supervision and Works Management awarded to Italferr (FS Group).
The recently completed excavation ensures a 2 km-long artificial tunnel, over 10m wide, with an internal height of 7m.
Webuild said a key feature of this tunnel is that it was built using the ‘Top Down’ method. This approach involved first constructing the reinforced concrete diaphragms and a 1m-thick roof slab before excavating underground.
The construction of the new Verona-Padua HS/HC railway line is divided into functional lots, with the first lot, the Verona-Bivio Vicenza section, extending 44.2km. The second lot, the Vicenza Crossing, spans 6.2km from Altavilla Vicentina to Vicenza station. The third lot, the Vicenza-Padua section, is currently in the design phase and will cover approximately 26km.
In July 2023, the Italian construction company signed a €1.82bn contract to start the executive design and work of the second lot of a crossing at the junction of Vicenza.
Once completed, the Verona-Padua HS/HC line will connect Milan and Venice. As part of the Mediterranean Corridor within the TEN-T (Trans-European Transport) network, it will enhance Italy’s connections to the rest of Europe.
The new Verona-Padua HS/HC line is part of the 30 major projects currently underway by Webuild Group in Italy.
In the railway sector, these include the Brenner Base Tunnel and the Genoa-Milan railway line in the North, as well as the Naples-Bari and Palermo-Catania-Messina railway sections in the South.
