Contract Awarded for the Santomarco Tunnel on the Salerno–Reggio Calabria HS/HC Rail Line
08-26-2025
Ghella, as part of a consortium, has been awarded the €1.6 billion contract for the construction of the new Santomarco Tunnel, commissioned by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (part of the Italian State Railways Group) and included in the “Paola–Cosenza Doubling” project along the Salerno–Reggio Calabria High-Speed/High-Capacity rail line.
The new Santomarco Tunnel, stretching over 15 km, will run approximately 100 meters from the existing single-track tunnel, which will be decommissioned once the works are completed. Excavation of the twin and single-track tunnel will be carried out using four tunnel boring machines (TBMs).
The works will be executed by the consortium comprising Ghella, Webuild (as lead contractor), Impresa Pizzarotti, and SELI. The route will cross the province of Cosenza, passing through the municipalities of Paola, San Lucido, Rende, Montalto Uffugo, San Vincenzo la Costa, and San Fili. The project also includes the construction of nine bridges and two railway viaducts: one, 350 meters long, crossing the A2 motorway, and the other, 205 meters long, spanning the Settimo stream. A new station will also be built in Montalto Uffugo.
Along the new Salerno–Reggio Calabria HS/HC line Ghella, as part of a consortium, is already delivering Lot 1A Battipaglia–Romagnano, which involves the design and construction of approximately 35 km of high-speed railway. The alignment includes about 18 km of underground works, with 8 cut-and-cover tunnels, 11 natural tunnels, and 19 viaducts.
This project represents another significant step toward completing the new Salerno–Reggio Calabria HS/HC line, part of the Scandinavian–Mediterranean Corridor of the TEN-T network, which will strengthen interconnections between Italy and Europe.