Southern Italy: Sicily accelerates the modernization of its railroads

In recent weeks, an important milestone in the process of infrastructure modernization was reached in Sicily with the delivery of the first double-track section (11.5 km) of the Catania Bicocca-Catenanuova line (approximately 38 km). This is part of the broader project under construction for the new high-capacity railway Palermo-Catania-Messina. With this completion, in compliance with the accelerated work schedule agreed upon in June 2023 with RFI (the leading company of the Infrastructure Hub of the FS Group), it will allow for the start of the track equipment work managed by another RFI contract. The accelerated schedule, which has now reached 83% completion, aims to advance the full activation of the railway doubling from February 2026 to February 2025.

Carried out by the Webuild Group, the works for the doubling of the railway between the Catania Bicocca station and the Catenanuova station, in the province of Enna, will allow more trains to transit at speeds of up to 160 km/h compared to the current 80-100 km/h. Travel time will therefore decrease from 25 to 17 minutes. For the construction of the first double-track section, 9 of the 17 railway viaducts planned for the entire lot have already been built, and all level crossings on the single-track line have been removed. These interventions contribute to greater safety for motorists and reduced travel times for trains.

Like all major projects, the construction of the new high-capacity railway line Palermo-Catania-Messina is already leaving an important legacy in the areas it touches.

In the midst of yet another drought affecting Sicily, Webuild workers and technicians have worked to complete the replacement of 25 kilometers of the water network running through the Plain of Catania, near the new railway. The project, funded by RFI with an investment of 10 million euros and carried out in collaboration with the Consorzio di Bonifica of the Sicily Region, involved the renewal of part of the water network with modern, corrosion-resistant pipes. These new interventions will reduce water leakage to zero.

In Sicily, Webuild is engaged in the realization of 8 projects. Seven of these are railway sections on the Palermo-Catania-Messina route, while the eighth concerns the construction of the Ragusana, the highway that will connect Ragusa with Catania. These highly complex works, part of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridor of the TEN-T network, involve 1,700 people today, including direct employees and third parties, with the involvement of 1,150 companies in the supply chain since the beginning of the works. This confirms how the island is undergoing a period of profound and radical infrastructure transformation. For this reason, Webuild has chosen to open Roboplant in Belpasso, in the province of Catania, a 4.0 robotized plant for the production of segments that will line the tunnels of the two lots under construction on the Catania-Messina route. A second plant will soon open in Dittaino, near Enna. The Roboplant facility is the first of its kind in Italy due to its high level of internal automation, capable of producing one segment every 7 minutes, compared to the 10 minutes required without full automation. To ensure specialized manpower on the island’s construction sites, the Group is carrying out the  Cantiere Lavoro Italia initiative, a training and employment program, aiming to hire 2,500 new resources, 80% of which are in the South.