Final Mont Cenis tunnelling contract awarded

The contract for the 28.5km of tunnelling works between Maddalena di Chiomonte and Susa is the final tunnelling contract to be awarded for the project.

Two dual-mode TBMs will be employed on the 91-month contract which, as well as the two tubes of the base tunnels, includes the Maddalena 2 tunnel, where the TBMs will be launched, connecting tunnels and a cut-and-cover tunnel at the eastern entrance to Susa.

TELT general director Maurizio Bufalini said the contract was a milestone for the Alpine crossing.

“With this contract, the excavation work on the Mont Cenis base tunnel is also starting in Italy. This result could have not been taken for granted until a few years ago and was achieved thanks to the commitment of the technicians, the support of the Italian and French institutions and social partners, and the great support of Europe,” he said.

Once completed, the 57.5km Mont Cenis base tunnel – 12.5 km in Italy and 45km in France – will be one of the longest rail tunnels in the world.

The cross-border section of the Lyon-Turin line is a 65km stretch between Susa in Piedmont and Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in Savoy. It will be the central hub of the Mediterranean Corridor, which is one of the nine TEN-T axes connecting seven EU countries from east to west. The new line will increase rail speeds across the Alps to 220km/hr for passenger services and 120km/hr for freight. It is anticipated the new line will remove more than one million lorries from alpine roads.