By rosebell
As the first of three tunnels on the Apice-Hirpinia lot, on the central section of the Naples-Bari route, digging process of the 2km-long Grottaminarda Tunnel on the high-speed Naples-Bari railway line through the Southern Apennines, has been completed by Webuild. Webuild is going to build18km of railway line, of which around 13km is underground.
Following broken through on the Grottaminarda tunnel, the 4.4km-long Melito tunnel is the next destination of the 12.5m-diameter TBM Aurora that currently is being transferred to the other side of the Ufita River.
Including construction of over than 74km of new railway line, six tunnels, 10 viaducts as well as six stations and stops,Webuild is responsible for four lots on the Rete Ferroviaria Italiana railway project, Naples-Cancell, Apice-Hirpinia, Hirpinia-Orsara and Orsara-Bovino.
July 2024 was the date that TBM Futura was commissioned for building the 6.4km-long Rocchetta tunnel, as the third tunnel on the section.
The date that excavation works commenced on the even-numbered barrel of the 10km-long Orsara tunnel was the end of July, whereas by the end of the year, mechanised excavation of the odd-numbered barrel will also have started.
Despite the hyperbaric conditions, construction of the Casalnuovo tunnel in also continues on the Naples-Cancello section and last month works to raise the last metal deck of the section were completed.
As an integral part of the TEN-T Trans-European network, Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor, the 145km-long high-speed, high-capacity Naples-Bari railway line is slated to halve journey times between Naples and Bari.
