Twin-tunnel win for Webuild consortium
15 June 2021An Italian consortium comprising Webuild (70%) and Pizzarotti (30%) has been announced best bidder for the US$445m design-build Orsara-Bovino contract which includes significant tunnelling.
Forming part of an upgrade to the Naples-Bari high-speed railway in the south of the country, the 11.8km section of line in question involves the construction of twin-tubed 9,871m-long tunnels through which trains will pass at speeds of up to 250kmh.
Commissioned by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (Italy’s railway infrastructure manager) the project aims to double the capacity of the existing single-rail train service along that section. It is designed to reduce by half the travel time between Naples and Bari to just two hours. It will also help reduce the journey time between Milan and Bari to six hours, thereby improving transport links between northern and southern Italy.
The project is expected to provide up to 5,000 jobs and comes under the government’s Piano Nazionale di Ripresa and Resilienza (National Plan of Recovery and Resilience) which aims to modernise infrastructure and stimulate employment.
