Webuild Progresses Italy’s Rocchetta Tunnel

Webuild’s excavation of the Rocchetta Tunnel is progressing at full speed, having done the first 4 km, a significant milestone with approximately 62% of the work completed. The tunnel will be the longest underground structure along the Apice-Hirpinia section of the Naples-Bari high-speed rail line, a strategic infrastructure for southern Italy being built by Webuild on behalf of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI of FS Italiane Group). Civil works for the future Hirpinia station on the line have been finalized. This station will be a key hub connecting the inland areas of Avellino and Benevento to the national high-speed rail network.

The project is part of the many works Webuild is carrying out in the southern Italy, whose total award value reaches approximately €15 billion. The projects employ approximately 8,700 people, directly and indirectly as of June 30, 2025, and have involved a supply chain of over 7,600 companies since the start of construction. The Naples-Bari line will be part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor, a strategic infrastructure to improve southern Italy’s connectivity with the rest of Europe. It will also promote economic and social development by providing more efficient and sustainable mobility.

The Apice-Hirpinia section stretches 18.7 km across the provinces of Avellino and Benevento, with 13 km of tunnels. It is the central part of the Naples-Bari line. The Rocchetta Tunnel, approximately 6.4 km long, is being excavated using “Futura,” a next-generation tunnel-boring machine (TBM) with a cutterhead over 12 m in diameter. The Hirpinia station is built on two levels with four tracks (two central and two lateral). It will be served by a dedicated access road network that will include four roundabouts, eight roadways, and a parking area.

Webuild is preparing for another important milestone on the Apice-Hirpinia project: in recent days, the launching of the reinforced concrete beams for the Ufita-Apice viaduct has begun. This structure will connect the Rocchetta Tunnel to the future Apice stop.

On this section, Webuild established an Advanced Training Center in Apice supported by the training lab in Bovino, which includes a TBM simulator that provides a highly realistic and safe environment for training operators involved in complex tunnel excavation.

In total, the Naples-Bari line will span 145 km of railway, with 15 tunnels, 25 viaducts and 20 stations and stops. Once completed, travel times between Naples and Bari will be reduced to two hours (from the current four); three hours between Rome and Bari; and four hours between Lecce and Taranto to Rome.