Salerno-Reggio Calabria, excavation of the first 'Caterina' tunnel completed
Progress in the construction of the first section of the high-speed railway line between Battipaglia and Romagnano
by Vera Viola
Steps forward in the construction of the Salerno-Reggio Calabria high-speed railway line. Excavation of the Caterina tunnel, the first to be completed on Lot 1A of the Salerno-Reggio Calabria HS/HC, has been completed. The work is being carried out by the consortium led by Webuild on a contract from RFI (Italian FS Group).
The construction of the tunnel bears the signature of 'Mireille', an innovative TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) weighing 1,200 tonnes and equipped with a milling head over 10 metres in diameter. The machine, driven by 11 motors generating a power of 3,850 kW, involved more than 100 specialised technicians for its operation and maintenance, working 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The same machine had been used in the excavation of the Paris metro. This is the first fully regenerated mole in the Webuild plant in Umbria, which was set up to give 'new life' to large excavation machines, also with a view to the circular economy.
Having completed the tunnelling of the Caterina tunnel, which is over 1 km long and has a single tube and single track, and having overcome a tricky geological area, excavation work will continue in the coming months towards the entrance of the Sicignano tunnel, over 2.5 km long. The entire railway section, between the towns of Battipaglia and Romagnano, is 35 km long in total, all in the province of Salerno.
On Lot 1A of the HS/HC Salerno-Reggio Calabria, other work on the construction site is also proceeding at full speed: excavation of the 450-metre-long Cerreta tunnel is underway, which is being carried out using the traditional method, while numerous work fronts are active for the construction of the abutments and piers of the viaducts in view of the launching of the imposing metal decks that will allow the TBMs to pass through to the subsequent excavation fronts, once the respective tunnels have been completed.
In addition to 'Mireille', in fact, three other giant TBMs, 'Partenope', 'Leucosia' and 'Ligea', are also at work on Lot 1 A. With a milling head of more than 13 metres, they are the largest Webuilds in action in Europe. The work is supported by more than 300 specialised technicians. At the same time, work is underway on the Saginara tunnel, which stretches between the municipalities of Campagna and Contursi Terme; the tunnelling of the Serra Lunga tunnel (over 800 metres); and the excavation of the Piano Grasso tunnel (2.2 kilometres).
