On the night of 2 May 2023, a new additional phase of the project "Doubling of the Cancello-Frasso Telesino Section" of the Napoli-Bari route, consisting of the Variant to the conventional Roma-Napoli line, through Cassino, has been activated. An important milestone that will soon allow the construction of the first direct link between Naples and Bari, operated via the Naples-Caserta-Cancello-Frasso ACCM (computerised multistation central interlocking system).
The new, 2,890 meters long track grafts onto the conventional line between mileage points 222+879 and 225+715 and features a planimetric and elevation variant on viaducts, in order to bypass the future tracks of the North and South interconnections and the access tracks to the Marcianise Scalo station. The new variant has also made it possible to eliminate two level crossings in the Municipality of Maddaloni.
Two built structures were also affected: the 792 meters long viaduct with an arched structure, called the "Gallerodotto" reminiscent of the design of Vanvitelli's nearby Carolino Aqueduct, and the subsequent 372 meters long "Cancello" viaduct.
The new route involved the relocation of the block signals and protection signals from the old to the new location, the consequent adjustment of the Grounding Subsystem of the Discontinuous Train Cab Signalling System (SST-SCMT), the decommissioning of the branch line to Marcianise Smistamento, and changes to the stations' ACEI (Relay Interlocking systems).
This event plays a crucial role today because it makes it possible to minimise work interfering with railway operations during the construction of the North-South interconnections needed for the direct link between Naples and Bari. This represents an important step toward the goal of improving the connections of the Apulia and Campania regions' innermost provinces with the Naples-Rome-Milan HS line, financed with NRRP funds, as part of a broader process of integration and support for the socioeconomic development of Southern Italy, with significant employment spin-offs and significant benefits for the economy of the regions involved.