By Ashley Karen
The Italian contractor, Webuild, is going to work on rail extension from world’s longest rail tunnel.
A consortium led by Webuild, the Italian construction and engineering group has received an award worth €1.07 billion contract to construct the 22.5km railway line extending from the southern end of the BBT (Brenner Base Tunnel).
The firm has a 51% stake in the project – commissioned by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, the Italian railway infrastructure management company– with Implenia which is its Swiss construction partner retaining 49%.
The rail tunnel which is now under-construction and set to be the longest of its type in the world, is going to run under the Alps for 64km, linking Italy and Austria.
Webuild is going to be responsible for the construction and design of the line among Ponte Gardena and Fortezza on the Italian side of the Alps, practically quadrupling the capacity of the Verona-Fortezza line.
Happening mainly below the ground, the project will contain not only the track, but also several underground interconnections and extra works at Ponte Gardena.
Moreover, Webuild will be responsible for making improvements on the Munich-Verona line, enabling trains to travel faster than what is now possible.
The company declared that the newest award – one of four so far received on the tunnel project – will lead to the making of 15,000 jobs, either directly related to the construction work or along the supply chain.
