Salerno-Reggio high-speed train, mayors revolt: 'No funds, snatching from Calabria'
The alarm raised by the committee of mayors in the area led by Cosenza's first citizen Franz Caruso. Mit's reply: "No problem with the work, but other routes would increase costs"
There is no peace for the Salerno-Reggio Calabria high-speed railway line. First there was the news about the remodelling of the first and only lot being progressed, the one linking Battipaglia to Romagnano, which is in danger of failing to meet the 2026 targets and for this reason could be partly excluded from the financial coverage (and timing) of the Pnrr. Now it is the turn of the alarm raised by the Calabrian mayors, led by the first citizen of Cosenza, Franz Caruso, who in a crowded press conference yesterday in Rome opened the dossier on funding and changes to the route. 'Today the high-speed train stops in Praja, or rather in Lagonegro,' thunders Caruso. The outburst comes on the day on which that very route is experiencing yet another breakdown due to the strong winds that have been sweeping half of Italy in recent days. And he makes the first citizens say 'that it is proof, if proof were still needed, that the existing line does not work' and that it is an urgent priority to build a second infrastructure dedicated to high speed for passengers and capacity for goods. Caruso addressed the audience and the many parliamentarians of all parties present in the room and bluntly spoke of 'ambiguity on the high-speed rail link that confirms the further serious snatching that is being carried out to the detriment of our region and the entire South'.
The dossier circulated yesterday by Calabria's first citizens, who formed an ad hoc committee, is detailed: together with Caruso are the first citizens Domenico Lo Polito (Castrovillari), Virginia Mariotti (San Marco Argentano), Pino Capalbo (Acri), Roberto Ameruso (Tarsia), Gianni Papasso (Cassano all'Ionio) supported by a technical pool of university professors and experts such as Demetrio Festa, professor of transport, Luigi Martirano, professor of engineering, and Giuseppe Lo Feudo, former director of Calabria Railways. In chorus, they reconstructed the story of the Calabrian high-speed railway, punctuated by stop-and-go and financed by the NCP but also by national funds. It is here, on the funding front, that the main problems are concentrated. To bedevil the route of the work, which was originally supposed to at least advance as far as Tarsia, deviating the coastal route and entering the belly of the territory, a central junction also for the outlet to the Ionian Sea, an aquifer has blocked everything. And so the line, on paper, would stop at Praja, with the entire project being downgraded from a high-speed line to an upgrade of the existing line. "According to the feasibility study carried out by Rfi and costing 35 million euro," Caruso explains, "the work up to Tarsia had been identified as a priority, but now the plans have changed and a Tyrrhenian route from Praia a Mare to Paola has been proposed. Rfi, for its part, confirms that the work will be carried out "as per the timetable and according to the economic resources already allocated", specifying that "the Praja-Tarsia route, following the investigations conducted during the design development phase, has turned out not to be feasible". In a note, the Italian Ministry of Economic Development also threw water on the fire, emphasising that there was 'no problem with the Salerno-Reggio high-speed rail link' and replying to the objections of the Calabrian mayors, however, it explained that 'studies have long since shown that alternative hypotheses would lead to an unjustified increase in costs (which are already high), with an unacceptable increase in construction times, as well as in travelling time'. But alternative solutions, such as the Praja-Paola one, do not convince the committee: it is a 'non-proposable' formula, with a 'very strong visual impact' and would entail the 'definitive devastation of the coastline'.
The ministry led by Matteo Salvini summarises the various steps and costs of the project. "Lot 1A, from Battipaglia to Romagnano, has a cost of 2.9 billion lire and is fully financed: thanks to the impetus of Minister Matteo Salvini and the joint MIT-RFI work, it has been possible to start work, which is still in progress. Lots 1B and 1C, from Romagnano to Praia, are worth a total of EUR 8 billion, 7 of which are financed through the Complementary Plan (PNC): the authorisation process is still in progress, at the end of which the missing resources will be found to complete the requirements to allow for a rapid start-up of the worksites," the note reads. In addition, "the Santomarco tunnel has a cost of 2.1 billion lire, entirely financed by the PNC, and - once again thanks to the work of the MIT - it has been possible to launch the tender (which is still in progress) to start work. The remaining lots are in the planning stage and will be financed in the RFI programme contract as the projects are developed'.
