With a cutter head spanning over 13 metres in diameter, the TBM that has arrived in Salerno is equipped with 18 motors generating a total of 10 Megawatts of power and will operate 24/7

Originating from Paris and headed to dig tunnels on the same line   is the first TBM reconditioned in Webuild’s Terni facility, in keeping with the company’s belief in innovation and the circular economy

Webuild is the world leader in underground excavation, with approximately 60 TBMs worldwide, 40 of which are in Italy, including 30 in the South

Salerno, 30 September 2024 - The port of Salerno has just been graced with the arrival of the first of the four TBMs (Tunnel Boring Machines) designated for the excavation of the tunnels planned for the route of Lot 1A (Battipaglia-Romagnano) on the Salerno-Reggio Calabria high-speed rail line, with works being carried out by the Xenia consortium headed up by Webuild on behalf of RFI (Gruppo FS Italiane). 

After its arrival by ship in Salerno, the truly massive TBM will be transported to a secondary location for assembly, which will take two to three months. The machine will then be used to excavate three kilometres of the Saginara tunnel, which runs between the towns of Campagna and Contursi Terme (province of Salerno), working 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Its operation and maintenance will require a total of more than 100 highly specialised workers.

An impressive 130 metres long and weighing some 4,000 tonnes, the TBM that has arrived in Salerno is equipped with 18 motors generating a total of 10 Megawatts of power. With a cutter head spanning 13.46 metres in diameter, this TBM is the largest to ever be used in Italy or Europe by Webuild, the world’s leading underground excavation group, which currently boasts a fleet of some 60 TBMs overall, including those in operation, being assembled, on order and with pending orders for a variety of ongoing projects.

Following the arrival of the colossal ‘mole’ in Salerno today, the next few months will see the arrival of three more TBMs which will allow work to commence in earnest on the railway line construction site, funded by the NRRP. 

source is Webuild.