Webuild wins €1bn rail project in Sicily

A consortium led by the Italian construction group Webuild has been awarded a contract worth just over €1 billion, to add capacity to the rail line between the cities of Messina and Catania in Sicily.

Webuild will take a 70% stake in the project, with its partner Pizzarotti holding the remaining 30%.

The contract was awarded by the Italian rail infrastructure management company, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, and pertains to work to be undertaken along the Giampilieri–Fiumefreddo section of the route.

According to Webuild – which is already working on a €192 million project on the neighbouring Palermo-Catania railway line – the latest contract centres on the construction of a new 28.3km line, as well as related civil works, including electrification, signalling and communications.

The construction team will also undertake the excavation of two single tunnels, six parallel tunnels and seven viaducts.

The new line is set to be built further inland than the existing Messina-Catania connection, with most of the route running through tunnels.

As part of the contract, the Webuild consortium will also be tasked with constructing a new underground station at Taormina, as well as five stations above ground.

When completed, the new line will form part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), part of the sustainable mobility initiative, promoted by the European Union.