Palermo – Catania High-Capacity Rail Line, Lot 1+2 Fiumetorto - Lercara Junction

The construction of the new Palermo, Catania, and Messina link is a strategic project for the infrastructural development of Sicily, falling under the larger PNRR infrastructure programme. It aims to upgrade and duplicate the railway line, providing higher train frequencies, increased operating speeds, and more efficient transportation of freight and passengers within the island. This project will reduce travel time between Palermo and Catania to about 2 hours, down from the current 3 hours, making rail transport more competitive. The Palermo-CataniaMessina Line is an essential section of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor No. 5 within the TEN-T Trans-European transport network, promoting interconnection with the rest of Italy and Europe. The upgrade works have been divided into five functional sections, all of which are currently in progress. Ghella is involved in 3 sections of the project (lotto 1+2, lotto 3, lotto 4A).

The scope of section 1+2 is to duplicate the Fiumetorto-Lercara Diramazione section, including the executive design and construction of 30 km of new railway line. In particular, the section includes the construction of a natural double-bore singletrack underground tunnel of about 20 km, named 'Alia,' 2.2 km of rail and road viaducts, 7.3 km of connecting roads, and three stations. Among these, the Valle del Torto station will be built from scratch, while the other two, Cerda and Lercara, will be upgraded. The stations will be equipped with systems designed to ensure efficient water usage and the collection and reuse of rainwater.   

Benefits

1. Infrastructural development and sustainable mobility in the South of the country
2. Reduction in train travel time of about 1 hour between Palermo and Catania
3. Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions