The railway line between Bicocca and Catenanuova, which belongs to the Messina-Catania-Palermo Route and forms part of the Core Network Corridor V “Scandinavia-Mediterranean”, will be upgraded and doubled under this EU-funded project to increase the number of trains per day, reduce travelling time and encourage a shift away from road transport.
- 27 October 2022
The new double track will continue the one that already connects Catania Centrale station to Bicocca. At the Bicocca station, the track layout will be changed, new underpasses and ramps built and the building and installations will be upgraded.
Straightening out the flaws
Along the entire 37.4 km-length of the Bicocca-Catenanuova section, the existing track will be reconstructed to eliminate bends and a second track will be built. Some of the land freed up from removing the bends will be turned into bicycle paths.
Two tunnels, 92.75 m and 34.75m in length, will be constructed, along with 17 viaducts. The two longest ones will be Simeto (310 m) and Delle Vigne Vecchie (398 m).
The current stops of Gerbini, Portiere Stella and San Martino Piana will be eliminated, along with several level crossings. No major changes will be made to the Catenanuova station, except for adaptations to accommodate the new infrastructure.
Reduced travelling time
The project is expected to increase the potential capacity of the Bicocca-Catenanuova section to 150 trains per day, from 80 at present, and allow for speeds of up to 160 km/h. The travelling time along this section is expected to decrease from 25 to 17 minutes.
A better link to Palermo
The Bicocca-Catenanuova section is part of the Palermo-Catania line, which is being upgraded to ensure it meets interoperability and TEN-T corridor standards. The average train speed of the entire section is just over 100 km/h, which decreases to between 80km/h and 90 km/h in several places.
Slow train speed and limited service due to the single track mean that the A19 motorway is the preferred means of commuting and transporting goods between Palermo and Catania.
Better quality railway service and connections to the ports of Catania, Augusta and Palermo, and the airports of Catania and Palermo should encourage a shift to rail transport and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from road transport.
The project will contribute to the socio-economic development of Southern Italy, particularly the province of Catania, by making it a more accessible and attractive to live and work – and to the economic and social integration of the country.
An integrated European rail network
The Catania-Palermo route is part of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Core Network Corridor, which will involve construction of over 9 300 km of new railway track, of which 3 053 km will be in Italy. This will connect regions that contribute 20 % of the EU’s GDP and where about 15 % of its population lives.
Construction of this corridor is projected to result in a 30 % increase in goods transported throughout Europe by 2030, as measured in tonnes per kilometre, according to the Network Corridor Work Plan.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Palermo-Catania-Messina railway axis. Doubling of the
Bicocca-Catenanuova section” is EUR 467 237 141, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 101 250 000 through the “National Operational Programme on Infrastructures and Networks” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Enhancing the capacity of the core railway networks ”.