A historic step for Italian railway engineering: the Casalnuovo gallery, a crucial junction of the Naples–Bari High Speed/High Capacity lineStefano is celebrating the event Antonio Donnarumma, CEO and General Manager of the FS group, who underlined the pioneering nature of the work: “For the first time in Italy, and among the first in Europe, a railway tunnel has been dug in mode hyperbaric: a technology never used before on a national scale”.
The project posed complex technical challenges, due to the presence of an aquifer and the population density of the area above. "Under a densely populated area, we excavated 650 meters in the presence of a significant aquifer, day and night, with electric, emission-free vehicles," Donnarumma explained, emphasizing how high standards of environmental and worker safety were ensured. "The aquifer remained protected, the workers were safe, and the territory was protected."
The project is part of the broader project for the new Naples-Bari high-speed/high-capacity line, which is set to revolutionize connections between the two southern regions. "The new Naples–Bari It continues to take shape and will soon be possible to travel along it in just two hours”, said the manager.
But the Casalnuovo tunnel represents more than just a railway line. As Donnarumma concluded: "This tunnel is more than just infrastructure. It's a symbol of what Italy can achieve when it deploys expertise, vision, and courage."
