Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (FS Italiane Group) has kicked off the construction site activities to build the doubling of tracks of the Fiumefreddo-Taormina/Letojanni and Taormina-Giampilieri sections, on the Palermo – Catania – Messina itinerary.
The interventions for the completion of the doubling of the line between Messina and Catania, an integral part of Corridor TEN-T Scandinavia-Mediterranean, will make it possible to increase freight traffic and improve the mobility of Sicilian travellers, reducing travel times between the two cities by 30 minutes and developing a metropolitan-type service.
Specifically, the works on the Fiumefreddo – Taormina/Letojanni section involve the construction of 15 kilometers of new double-track line, 11 of which in tunnels, between Fiumefreddo and Taormina, with a connection to the Letojanni station. The interventions were entrusted to the Messina Catania Lotto Sud Consortium, for a total investment by RFI di 872 million euro.
In the Taormina – Giampilieri section, over 28 kilometers of new double track line will be built, of which more than 25 in tunnels and the remainder in embankments, trenches and viaducts. The works will be carried out by the Consorzio Messina Catania Lotto Nord, with a total investment by RFI di 1,43 billion euros.
The two consortia are made up of companies Webuild Italia SpA – Impresa Pizzarotti SpA – Partecipazioni Italia SpA.
The phased conclusion of the ongoing interventions along the itinerary Messina – Catania – Palermo, with a total investment of 9,3 billion euros also financed with i funds of the PNRR, will allow progressive reductions in journey times, to the benefit of people traveling for work, study and tourism reasons. Furthermore, they will allow for the increase of the capacity of passenger and freight trains on the line, with the circulation of freight trains to European standards. Finally, the completion of the entire work will allow for an improvement in the interconnections between the inland areas of Sicily and the three cities.
