Webuild has secured a new contract worth US$76429 million (EUR 640 million) to double the capacity of the Palermo-Catania-Messina high-capacity railroad in Sicily, Italy. The design and construction contract for the Fiumefreddo-Taormina/Letojanni Functional Lot No. 1 project has been awarded, which is a section of the Giampilieri-Fiumefreddo railway. The company recently won a contract worth 1.19 billion U.S. dollars (1 billion euros) for the delivery of the second functional section of the Taormina-Jampirelli railway.

These projects will be executed by a consortium, in which Webuild owns 70% of the shares and Pizzarotti owns the remaining 30%. The plot involves construction of a 15 km railway line from Fiumefreddo to Taormina/Letojanni (between Messina and Catania). Webuild said in a statement: "It includes the interconnection in Taormina/Letojanni, the removal of facilities on the existing line between Fiumefreddo and the connection to the historical line."

According to the new contract, the company will also build a subway station in Taormina and two viaducts in Folia Rino Torrent and Alcantara Viaduct. An artificial tunnel will also be constructed in Fiumefreddo, as well as three natural tunnels in Calatabiano, Letojanni and Taormina. The project is being implemented under the axis of the Messina-Catania-Palermo Railway, which is part of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Sustainable Transport Initiative. Once completed, commuters will be able to cover the 30-minute journey between Messina and Catania faster.

These railway development projects have received funding from the National Recovery and Rehabilitation Plan. Prior to this, Webuild became the best bidder for the design and construction contract for the Orsara-Hirpinia section of the Naples-Bari high-speed railway project in Italy.Editor/Baohongying