Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) and the Iricav 2 consortium led by the Webuild Group, have signed a EUR 2.5 billion contract for the construction of the first section of Verona-Padua high speed line. The consortium comprises Webuild with a 45.44% stake, Astaldi – 37.49% and Hitachi Rail with a share of 17.07%.
Under the contract, the consortium will be responsible for the construction of 44.2 km high-speed rail section between Verona and Bivio Vicenza, crossing 13 municipalities, of which six in Verona province and seven in Vicenza. 6.8 km of viaducts, 2.1 km tunnels and 33 km elevations will be constructed as part of this first lot. The section, which will comprise a total investment of EUR 2.7 billion, is expected to be completed in 2027.
EUR 874 million is the awarded funding for the first phase as part of the contract, while the remaining EUR 1.59 billion will be financed within the next 12 months.
By quadrupling the existing railway, it will improve the quality of the train service and strengthen its links to a European network, helping reduce the impact on the environment as well as the number of road accidents.
“We are very happy to start a new strategic project, this time for mobility in Veneto. It is another piece of infrastructure that we hope will involve a long supply chain, running from north to south,” Webuild Chief Executive Pietro Salini said.
EUR 4.8 billion is the needed investment for the construction of entire 76.5 km high-speed line, of which EUR 4.2 billion is the value available for the general contractor. The railway line will be constructed within two more lots. This involves a 6.2 km section crossing of Vicenza as the second lot, and the Vicenza-Padua section which will have a length of 26.1 km.
The Verona-Padua high speed line is an important railway connection across the country’s northeast. Is part of the Milan-Venice high-speed connection, on the Mediterranean Corridor, the main east-west axis in the TEN-T Network south of the Alps, running from south-western Mediterranean region of Spain to the Ukrainian border.
With the addition of the line between Milan and Venice to the national network, 75% of the Italian population will have access to high-speed rail service.
To develop the high-speed railway network, RFI has also awarded this year, a contract for the second lot of Brescia Est – Verona line.
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