Italian company Webuild unveiled the second Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) it will use to bore tunnels for a high capacity railway line in Sicily.

The TBM has diameter of 9.36 meters and weighs around 900 tons. It has been manufactured by a Chinese company and it has successfully passed the Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) in China. The TBM will be dismantled in factory in China and shipped to Sicily. It will arrive in Sicily in Janury 2024.

Webuild and its consortium partner won a €1.32-billion contract for the high-capacity railway under construction between Palermo and Catania in Sicily. It entails the development of 30 kilometres of new railway to double the Fiumetorto-Lercara Junction (Lot 1+2). It includes 20 kilometers long parallel tunnels. This TBM is the second one for tunnelling.

Commissioned by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) (Gruppo FS Italiane), the project will support the development of infrastructure in Sicily and reduce the travel times between the island’s main cities, making rail transport more competitive.

https://www.ferrovie.it/portale/articoli/14035