Salerno–Reggio Calabria High-Speed/High-Capacity Railway Line, Lot 1A | Italy

Status: ongoing

SELI Overseas, as part of the works on Lot 1A of the new Salerno–Reggio Calabria High-Speed/High-Capacity railway line, being delivered by the Xenia Consortium led by Webuild, has been entrusted with excavating two single-tube, double-track tunnels with a combined length of approximately 4 kilometres: the 2.2-kilometre-long Piano Grasso Tunnel and the Contursi Tunnel, extending for more than 1.5 kilometres.

Excavation activities are being carried out using “Ligea”, one of the largest TBMs currently operating in Europe. Measuring 130 metres in length and weighing 4,000 tonnes, the TBM is equipped with 18 motors generating a total installed power of 10 MW.

SELI Overseas, in addition to tunnel excavation and lining works, is responsible for site logistics, spoil handling operations and relocating the TBM across the viaduct connecting the two tunnel sections.

Lot 1A extends over a total length of 35 kilometres and has been designed for train speeds of up to 300 km/h. Approximately 18 kilometres of the alignment run underground and include 12 natural tunnels, eight of which will be excavated using mechanised methods with four TBMs.

The Battipaglia–Romagnano section represents a key milestone within the broader Salerno–Reggio Calabria high-speed railway programme, a strategic infrastructure project aimed at strengthening north–south connectivity across Italy.