Webuild Group wins new high-speed line contract in Italy

The contract for the Orsara-Hirpinia section is part of the upgrading of the railway between Naples and Bari to prepare it to become part of the fifth corridor of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) that would run between Helsinki and Valetta. The railway project has been identified as a priority under the government’s so-called Sblocca Italia (Unlock Italy) decree that is assigning investments to strategic infrastructure.

The works, which will be managed by Webuild for client Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (Gruppo FS Italiane) once they are awarded, will be done by a consortium in which the Group is leader, with a 70 per cent stake, together with partner Pizzarotti (30 per cent). The new result follows the recent awarding of another section of 11.8km of the same line between Orsara and Bovino for a value of €367.2 million.

The project  will allow for the creation of 15,000 jobs. The new Orsara-Hirpinia section will be approximately 28km-long and run mostly in a tunnel for about 27km. The speed at which the trains will be able to reach along the new line is 250km/h apart from when they are at the open extremities where they will reach 200km/h. The Bovino-Orsara section will open temporarily with the construction of a temporary link to the historic line next to the current Orsara station. Work on the Orsara-Hirpinia will begin, on the Bari side, next to the railway already built for the Bovino-Orsara section with the demolition of the temporary rail link to the historic line and the development of the Orsara station. After a brief raised section there is the Cervaro Viaduct about 314 metres after which, on the Naples side, begins the Hirpinia tunnel of 27km in length.

Development of sustainable mobility in southern Italy

The Naples-Bari high-speed railway will be a strategic axis in the development of sustainable mobility in southern Italy. It will reduce by about half the time it takes to travel between Naples and Bari to just two hours. It will also bring northern and southern Italy closer together, bringing the travel time between Milan and Bari down to six hours. Its construction will support the economy and create jobs in the region. The two other sections of the railway on which the Group is already working – Naples-Cancello and Apice-Hirpinia – employ more than 2,200 people, directly and indirectly, and involve a supply chain of approximately 400 businesses, mostly Italian.

The Naples-Cancello section will have a new station in the town of Napoli-Afragola. Built by Astaldi of the Webuild Group, it will serve as an interchange with regional and high-speed trains. About 15.5km-long, the section will pass through the towns of Casoria, Casalnuovo, Afragola, Caivano and Acerra. The Apice-Hirpinia section will run for 18km across the Apennine mountain range. This section will include a station at Hirpinia, three natural tunnels and four viaducts.