The major renewal of the railway network implemented by FS, thanks also to the funds of the PNRRAs is well known, the operation is creating some inconvenience for passengers due to the hundreds of construction sites constantly underway from North to South, but it continues to bear fruit for the benefit of the entire country and of present and future generations. The latest announcement from Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (FS Group) is the completion of the installation of the advanced ERTMS (European Rail Transport Management System) on 1.400 kilometers of network thus reaching, as per the timetable, the medium-term goal envisaged by measure 1.4 of the M3C1 mission of the PNRR for the development of the European rail transport management system.
Operation financed with 2,5 billion from the PNRR
The intervention is financed with 2,5 billion euros coming from PNRR funds and will involve a total of approximately 2.800 kilometres of network to be completed by June 2026, in line with the strategic objective of extending the ERTMS technology, already adopted on the high-speed lines, to the entire network managed by RFI. "The interventions technological upgrade just concluded – the company claimed in a note – represent a tangible example of the benefits deriving from the 1.200 active construction sites every day and by the growing number of interruptions in recent years, which have risen from 160 in 2023 to the 345 forecast for 2025, most of which occurred during periods of lower influx of commuting workers and students.”
ERTMS is the most advanced system in the international panorama in the field of railway signalling and for this reason it has been chosen by the European Union as single standard for supervision and train spacing control. The kilometers of network equipped with this technology can guarantee greater infrastructure reliability, resulting in improved traffic flow and service quality. In addition to higher performance, ERTMS also allows for a savings on management costs and maintenance compared to traditional signalling systems.
The activities will continue in the next few months and will involve conventional lines, urban nodes and European Corridors throughout the national territory, including the Rome-Florence direct route where the interventions have already been carried out on the Rovezzano-Orvieto section and in the coming months the technology will be activated on the remaining 105 km between Orvieto and Settebagni, including the related interconnections.
Who carried out the work and along which lines
The work, carried out by Hitachi, Alstom, Mermec, and Progress Rail, involved a total of approximately 2 workers, including technicians from the FS Italiane Group, operating companies RFI and Italferr, and contractors. 21 lines or sections of lines benefited from ERTMS equipment, covering a total of 1.489 kilometers: in the North, Domodossola-Arona, Gallarate-Rho, Merano-Bolzano, Rovigo-Chioggia; in the Central Region, the Florence-Rome Direct Line, Viareggio-Arcola Bivio, Grosseto-Civitavecchia, Civitanova Marche-Albacina, Terni-Sulmona, Campoleone-Nettuno, Ciampino-Frascati/Albano, Roccasecca-Avezzano; in the South, the Rome-Naples High-Speed/High-Capacity Line (ERTMS technology upgrade in operation), Lamezia Terme Centrale-Catanzaro Lido, Catanzaro Lido-Sibari; in the Islands Cagliari-Oristano, Oristano-Chilivani, Chilivani-Olbia-Golfo Aranci, Syracuse-Canicattì, Caltanissetta Xirbi–Aragona Caldare-Lercara, Alcamo-Trapani via Castelvetrano.
