Palermo-Catania Railway Line. Bicocca-Catenanuova Section
Start of works
January 2019
Progress status
38%
Data updated to November 2021
SDG Obiettivi di sviluppo sostenibile
Climate action
Industry innovation and infrastructure
Transfers in less than two hours and a new station on the Palermo-Catania line
The project concerns the Palermo-Catania railway line. In particular, it doubles one of its sections, which is 38 kilometers in length, on the Bicocca-Catenanuova railway section.
Trains running on this stretch today cannot exceed speeds of 90 km/h (55 mph) and are obliged to stop to let others pass because of the single track. Doubling the tracks will enable the trains to reach speeds of 200 km/h (124 mph).
Like other ongoing sustainable mobility projects, the work is part of the broader European corridors TEN-T (Transport European Network) project. The plan aims at improving rail transport competitiveness, also by increasing rail freight transport. It also wishes to connect the South-Eastern railway network to high speed and high capacity railway lines.
The works concern the new railway site, the armament, the signaling and telecommunication systems and the electrical substations for powering the trains. The Bicocca station will be redeveloped, and a new one will be built in Motta Sant’Anastasia.
The works are carried out almost entirely on the surface, with the construction of viaducts up to 500 metres long that cross the waterways: the Simeto and the Buttaceto. These are complex and large-scale works, with earth movements for 1.5 million cubic metres, and many small crossing works. All this while the traditional line continues to work.
Technical data
Section of the railway line (km)
37.5
Railway viaducts
17
Earth Movements (m3)
1,500,000
Supply Chain: 193 companies with Webuild, to bring high-speed trains to Sicily
A flower of productive excellence that for 58% of the total are from Sicily, followed by Lombardy and Veneto. Companies but also university institutions.
Webcam
The Bicocca-Catenanuova Railway Section construction works in live streaming. From the Vigne Vecchie Viaduct and Canale Buttaceto Viaduct construction sites, four live webcams are showing the ongoing activities
Webcam 1
Vigne Vecchie Viaduct (Palermo side)
Webcam 2
Vigne Vecchie Viaduct (Catania side)
Webcam 3
Canale Buttaceto Viaduct (Palermo side)
Webcam 4
Canale Buttaceto Viaduct (Catania side)
Sustainability
The project is carried out with a deep attention for the environment, precisely because it develops along the Catania countryside. This is the work of the Centro Studi di Economia Applicata all’Ingegneria, of which the University of Catania is a member, engaged in the application of remote sensing techniques that use high-resolution satellite images to map the area affected by the excavations, and ensure that agricultural crops are not harmed.
Advantages and benefits of the work
Reduction of travel times
40%
Passengers expected per year
2,600,000
C02 emissions avoided per year
13,000 t
Multimedia
