Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) awarded Cosedil a EUR 116 million contract for executive design and execution of the works for the Augusta railway bypass on the Catania – Syracuse section.
The contract is funded by Italy’s recovery and resilience plan.
The project involves the creation of a variant to the Messina – Catania – Syracuse line and the construction of a new passenger station outside the town of Augusta. The goal of the project is to reduce travel times, since the work involves 2.8 km of track to replace the over 7 km of the historic line, and to eliminate interference with city traffic.
The current route crosses the protected area of the Saline di Augusta for two stretches and has three level crossings within the city. The work will instead allow the railway infrastructure to be relocated outside the historic centre of Augusta and the protected natural area of the Saline.
In order to enhance the railway bed that will be decommissioned with the implementation of the intervention, a plan is being defined to revalue the Saline area, focused on the cultural and environmental aspects characterizing the site, and for which the necessary discussions have been initiated with the Sicilian Region, the Municipality of Augusta and the interested bodies.
RFI is implementing “Bypass and port of Augusta” project which includes two interventions in the Augusta area, the first concerning a railway link that connects the new railway park located in the Port of Augusta to the national railway network while the second convers the construction of Augusta railway bypass and the new station located outside the town centre.
The global project contributes to avoiding interference between Italy’s rail network and the urban fabric of the eponymous city as well as increasing rail – ship intermodality and allowing the development of freight traffic with performance characteristics in line with TEN-T network standards.
All works estimated at EUR 281 million are expected to be completed in 2026.
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