A consortium led by Italian engineering firm Salini Impregilo has secured a €608.1m ($683.4m) contract to build a section of a high-capacity rail line between the Italian cities of Naples and Bari.
The Naples-Bari high-speed railway project will form part of the Trans-European Network (TEN), which will integrate rail transport networks across the European continent.
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Salini Impregilo, along with its partner Astaldi, will construct the 18.7km-long Apice-Hirpinia section of the line between the towns of Avellino and Benevento.
The scope of the contract also includes the construction of a station at Hirpinia and a stop at Apice, three tunnels and four viaducts. Salini Impregilo will own a 60% stake in the consortium.
Salini Impregilo is already working on another part of the Naples-Bari line, which a 15.5km-long section between Naples and Cancello.
The Napoli-Bari high-speed railway project is expected to boost the competitiveness of rail transport and help the socio-economic development in Southern Italy.
The project forms part of a number of strategic infrastructure investments being made under the ‘Unlock Italy’ initiative launched by the Italian Government.
As a member of the government’s Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane Group (FS Group), ITALFERR has been appointed to execute the €6.2bn ($6.68bn) project, which will involve the construction of rail lines and upgrades to the existing railway lines.
The upgraded railway is likely to improve interconnection and interoperability within the Scandinavia-Mediterranean Trans-European Network (TEN) core corridor, integrate with the south-east railway network, and provide high-speed services.
Civil works commenced in October 2015, while the entire project is slated to complete by 2022.
