Excavation Begins on Three Tunnels for Salerno-Reggio Calabria HS/HC Railway in Italy

A new decisive step for infrastructure development in Southern Italy: mechanized excavation has begun on three tunnels on Lot 1A of the Salerno-Reggio Calabria high-speed/high-capacity railway, a project under development by Webuild on behalf of RFI (FS Italiane Group). The railway will be part of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), representing one of the most strategic projects to connect Southern Italy to Northern Italy and Europe.

With the start of three new tunnel-boring machines (TBMs), all four of the machines planned for the excavation of eight natural tunnels on Lot 1A are now operational. This section will connect Battipaglia to Romagnano. Following the launch in recent months of the giant TBM Partenope, which is excavating the Saginara tunnel, these three other TBMs – Leucosia, Ligea and Mireille – have started work, involving more than 300 specialized technicians to run and maintain them.

With a cutterhead of more than 13 meters in diameter, Leucosia and Ligea are, together with Partenope, the three largest TBMS being operated by Webuild in Europe. Their names were chosen in a public contest, evoking the myth of the Sirens living in the Gulf of Salerno.

Leucosia has started on the Serra Lunga tunnel, which will be over 800 meters long, a single-tube with double track. Once the excavation and lining of the walls are complete, the TBM will proceed with the Acerra and Petrolla tunnels, separated by line viaducts. Ligea will excavate the Piano Grasso tunnel, a more than 2.2 kilometers long single-tube with a double track, and later the Contursi tunnel.

Also launched is Mireille, which after working on the Grand Paris Express, is now excavating the Caterina tunnel, over 1 kilometer long, a single tube with a single track. With a cutterhead diameter of over 10 meters, Mireille is the first TBM refurbished at Webuild’s Terni factory, a new high-specialization facility dedicated to TBM refurbishment, created to enable their reuse on new projects, in line with circular economy principles. Once the excavation and lining of the Caterina tunnel are complete, Mireille will move on to the Sicignano tunnel.

On Lot 1A, work continues on artificial tunnels, while excavation of the Cerreta natural tunnel using the traditional method will begin in the coming weeks. Construction is also underway on line viaducts, including the longest of the planned trajectory, which will cross the A2 Salerno–Reggio Calabria motorway. This viaduct will feature more than 100 spans, including a 120-meter-long railway arch bridge – the longest of its kind in Italy.

Lot 1A, awarded to the Consorzio Xenia led by Webuild (with partners Pizzarotti, Ghella and Tunnel Pro), covers the province of Salerno and involves building 35 kilometers of high-speed railway between Battipaglia and Romagnano, including 20 tunnels and 19 viaducts. More than 1,000 people are directly and indirectly employed. Since the start of works, some 430 direct suppliers are also involved. On the Salerno-Reggio Calabria line, Webuild recently won the Cosenza–Paola/San Lucido project, which will add over 22 kilometers of line, including the Santomarco tunnel – the main work of the project – stretching 15 kilometers.

The two lots of the Salerno-Reggio Calabria line are among a number of projects Webuild is delivering in Southern Italy for a total awarded value of approximately €15 billion. These projects employ 8,700 people (including direct and third-party personnel, as of June 30, 2025) and involve 7,600 direct suppliers since work began.