Italferr is involved in Planning, Direction of Works, and Coordination of the processes for creating the new Palermo-Catania-Messina route, an integral part of the "Scandinavian-Mediterranean (Helsinki-La Valletta)" Corridor 5 of the Trans European Network (TEN).
This strategic work is called for in the Free-up Italy Legislative Decree, now financed using resources made available via the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). This new route will greatly increase the competitiveness of passenger and freight rail transport, meeting the mobility needs of the Sicilian Region, by reducing travelling times, while improving regularity and frequency. It will also provide interconnection and interoperability within the TEN-T Transeuropean Corridors, as well as links between more densely populated urban centres and the island's inland and coastal areas.
Construction of this route will also provide a great opportunity for relaunching the local economy, with positive spin-offs in terms of industry, tourism, and social and cultural facets, that will come with general improvement of transport services.
The programme includes works to speed up and upgrade the existing line, in accordance with interoperability requirements laid down by the European Union, and electrified, doubled sections that will allow speeds to be reached of 200 km/h.
CATANIA-MESSINA LINE Doubling of the Giampilieri-Fiumefreddo section This section lies completely within a variant route about 42 km long, via a new mainly mountainous corridor, leaving the old line that follows the coastal corridor in eastern Sicily. The project will include completion of doubling of the Catania-Messina line, while keeping a short section with the current Letojanni Station, developing fast links between the most densely populated centres and the Catania Junction. |
PALERMO-CATANIA LINE This infrastructure has double track sections separated by single track sections, alongside which the old line will be maintained. The work will make it possible to reduce the current travelling time between the two Metropolitan Cities by about 60 minutes, to 2 hours compared to the current 3, making it possible to review the regional service model. Doubling the Bicocca-Catenanuova Section Overall, this project covers about 38 km, in part alongside the existing single track and in part in the form of a new double track as a variant from the route: line length 36,03 km; viaduct length 1 km; tunnel length 0,1 km; electrification 3kV; ERTMS L2 technologies. Cefalù Ogliastrillo-Castelbuono Section Route Characteristics: line length 12,3 km; viaduct length 145 km; tunnel length 19,4 km; top speed 160 km/h; electrification 3kV; ERTMS L" technologies. |
Connected with constructing the new route. The significant infrastructural and technological works are already underway and are largely in operation: doubling of the Catania Ognina-Catania Centrale (Catania Junction) section; doubling of the Fiumetorto-Castelbuono section; upgrading of the Palermo Junction); technological upgrading of speeding up of the Messina-Syracuse, Palermo-Messina, and Palermo-Catania main lines.