The company will undertake hyperbaric tunnelling on approximately 650m of the Casalnuovo tunnel on the Naples-Cancello lot of the new railway line. Excavation will continue around the clock, under a densely urbanised area.
The compression chamber holds 20 people and takes around 20 minutes to reach the desired pressure. During excavation the pressure will vary between 0.3 and 1.2.
Construction of the Casalnuovo tunnel is scheduled for completion next year.
Webuild is responsible for four lots on the high-speed rail project: Naples-Cancello, Apice-Hirpinia, Hirpinia-Orsara and Orsara-Bovino. Overall, it is building 74km of the line, including six tunnels – using eight TBMs – 10 viaducts and six stations.
TBMs are currently being assembled for the 6.4m-long Rocchetta tunnel on the Apice-Hirpinia lot and the 10km-long Orsara tunnel on the Orsara-Bovina lot. They are due to be launched this summer.
Excavation of the 2km-long Grottaminarda tunnel on the Apice-Hirpinia lot is about 60% complete.
Rete Ferroviaria’s Italiana (RFI) high-speed Naples-Bari line will be 145km long, with nine tunnels, including the 27km-long Hirpinia tunnel, 25 viaducts and 16 new stations. It is scheduled to open in 2028. It will halve the journey time between Naples and Bari to two hours, and provide a three-hour rail connection between Rome and Bari.
