Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (Gruppo FS) has awarded a consortium led by Webuild a EUR 1.6 billion contract for the construction of the Paola–Cosenza rail section and the Santomarco tunnel on the Salerno-Reggio Calabria HSR. The project is expected to be completed by 2032.
The consortium includes Ghella, Impresa Pizzarotti & C., and Seli Overseas – a Webuild subsidiary specialising in tunnelling – with Webuild responsible for carrying out the works.
The project involves the construction of a new 22-kilometre double-track line with high-speed, high-capacity rail capabilities. Approximately 17 kilometres of the route will be tunnel-based, with the remaining 5 kilometres on the surface.
The central element of the project is the new Santomarco tunnel, which will span over 15 kilometres and is regarded as a strategic intervention on the line. The new tunnel will be located roughly 100 metres from the existing single-track tunnel, which will be decommissioned upon completion. Four tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will be used to excavate the double-tube, single-track tunnel.
The project also includes the construction of nine railway bridges and two viaducts. One viaduct, 350 metres in length, will cross the A2 motorway, while the second, measuring 205 metres, will cross the Settimo stream. A new station will also be built in Montalto Uffugo to serve the surrounding area and the university campus in Rende.
The railway will traverse the Province of Cosenza, passing through the municipalities of Paola, San Lucido, Rende, Montalto Uffugo, San Vincenzo la Costa, and San Fili.
The construction of the Paola–Cosenza section will significantly enhance the capacity and efficiency of the railway connection between Calabria’s Tyrrhenian coast and its inland areas. It will improve access to Cosenza and strengthen the Bari–Taranto–Gioia Tauro freight corridor.
This initiative marks a key milestone in the completion of the new Salerno-Reggio Calabria HSR. It will support the economic and social development of Southern Italy as part of the Scandinavian–Mediterranean corridor of the TEN-T Network – a strategic axis linking the southern part of the peninsula with Northern Italy and the rest of Europe.
On the same Salerno–Reggio Calabria line, Webuild is already constructing Lot 1A (Battipaglia–Romagnano), the first phase of the entire infrastructure, involving 35 kilometres of new line and a junction with the Potenza–Metaponto section. For this section, Webuild has recently launched the largest tunnel boring machine in Europe to excavate the Saginara tunnel. Altogether, Webuild will construct approximately 60 kilometres of the high-speed railway between Salerno and Reggio Calabria.
Meanwhile, RFI is progressing through the authorisation processes for Lots 1B and 1C (Romagnano–Buonabitacolo / Buonabitacolo–Praia), while design work continues for the remaining lots required to complete the Salerno–Reggio Calabria route.
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