A joint venture between Webuild and Hitachi has signed a deal with rail operator Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFT) for an element of a €4.8bn high-speed rail line between Verona and Padua in the Venezia region of Italy.
The project is being financed by the Italian government’s pandemic Recovery Fund, and the need to restart the Italian economy led to the deal being signed five months ahead of schedule. Webuild told GCR that the acceleration would also give it a five-month head start on design and planning work.
The Iricav Due consortium, which is 83% owned by Webuild, will work on the second and final construction package of the section, which takes the line across the Altavilla municipality in Bivio Vicenza. The whole of this section is worth €1.6bn, and the second "lot" accounts for €720m.
Iricav is also working on the first section of the line, which takes the line 44km from Verona and Bivio Vicenza. This deal, signed in August, has a total investment value of €2.7bn, of which €2.5bn will go to Iricav. Â
Webuild commented in a press statement: "By quadrupling the existing railway, the project represents an important link across the country’s northeast. It will promote more sustainable mobility in a key area for the transport of goods arriving from the north and east, reducing the impact on the environment and problems related to road traffic."
Webuild’s graphic explaining the structuring of the Verona-Padua project
The project is part of the EU’s trans-European network that will link Spain and the Ukraine.
In Europe, it will increase capacity between Milan and Venice, and by linking to the wider Italian network, will allow 75% of the Italian population to have access to high-speed rail service.
The completion date is set for 31 December 2026.
Webuild is also involved in the development of the Bicocca-Catenanuova section of the Palermo-Catania line in Sicily; the Terzo Valico dei Giovi and Genoa Junction that will strengthen links between the Genoa and main railways in northern Italy. It is also involved in the Brenner Base Tunnel between Verona and Munich, the M4 metro line in Milan and two sections of the Naples-Bari high-speed railway.
Top image: An Italo EVO train in action (Superalbs/CC BY-SA 4.0)
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