A project to double a section of railway line between Palermo and the town of Carini (near Palermo Falcone Borcellino airport) in Sicily is expected to help improve levels of service and so encourage more people to travel by train. This scheme is for the doubling of ‘section B’ of the line, running between Notarbartolo and EMS/La Malfa for a length of about 5.3 km.
- 14 May 2020
The double track for the “Passante ferroviario” (“Railway Link”) is the most important infrastructure work carried out in Sicily within the last 20 years. The overall intervention (sections "A", "B" and C ") concerns laying a second railway line of about 30 km between the Palermo Central Station and the Carini Station and the finalisation of the double track connection with the airport “Falcone-Borsellino”.
The overall Palermo-Carini scheme has been split into three phases: section A covers works between Palermo Centrale/Brancaccio and Notarbartolo; section B (this project); and section C, from EMS/La Malfa to Carini.
The work will include boring a 2.1 km-long tunnel from Notarbartolo to Belgio, about 15 m under the existing, shallow tunnel. The Francia and San Lorenzo stations will be rebuilt below ground level, in open trenches. The Notarbartolo station will be upgraded and two new stops will be created: Lazio and Belgio. Level crossings along the route will be removed and replaced with new road infrastructure.
Multiple benefits
Upgrading and increasing the capacity of the line is expected to bring a number of benefits to the local community and wider region. The double line will be able to run improved services, which should encourage a reduction in car use in favour of metropolitan public transport services. Such a modal shift in travel preferences is expected to reduce congestion on local roads, lower emissions of CO2 and other pollutants, and reduce noise pollution – especially in densely populated areas such as Catania, Sicily’s second-largest city. Additionally, changes in transport patterns could lead to a significant reduction in road accidents.
Other benefits are associated with the socio-economic impact of the project, through increased employment in an area with high unemployment, and through economic development due to improved accessibility and lower transport costs.
Better links with Europe – and locally
More broadly, the railway line forms part of the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), specifically the Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridor. The line’s upgrade will help connect the southern regions of Italy with those of northern and central-eastern Europe.
This project, along with others on the Palermo Railway Line, forms part of the Palermo Municipality’s Integrated Mass Public Transport Plan. In addition to new railway infrastructure, the plan includes construction of a 17 km-long light automated metro and a three-line tramway system 15 km in length.
The plan, together with the Urban Parking Area Plan and the Roads Plan, is intended to improve public transport by creating a balanced and integrated system typical of metropolitan areas. Bringing together lines with nodes and interchange stations should make it easier for people to move around the urban centre and connect with peripheral areas.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Palermo - Carini railway doubling - section "B" Notarbartolo / EMS - La Malfa” is EUR 295 237 030, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 176 933 056 through the “Sicilia ERDF” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Sustainable Energy and Quality of Life”.