Webuild Group expands role in Salerno–Reggio Calabria high-speed railway with €1.6 billion Paola–Cosenza contract

Webuild Group expands role in Salerno–Reggio Calabria high-speed railway with €1.6 billion Paola–Cosenza contract

(IN BRIEF) Webuild Group, leading a consortium with Ghella, Pizzarotti, and SELI, has secured a €1.6 billion contract to construct the Paola–Cosenza doubling section of the Salerno–Reggio Calabria high-speed railway, with its share valued at 60%. The project covers 22.2 km in Calabria, mainly underground, and centres on the new 15 km Santomarco Tunnel, which will be excavated with four tunnel boring machines and replace the existing single-track tunnel. The initiative will improve regional accessibility, boost freight routes, and shorten travel between Rome and Reggio Calabria from five hours to three hours and forty minutes. It will employ up to 1,500 people, feature nine bridges, two viaducts, and a new station at Montalto Uffugo. This latest contract brings Webuild’s involvement on the line to about 60 km, as part of its 19 projects underway across Southern Italy and the islands, mobilising 8,700 workers and over 7,600 supply chain firms to deliver more than 320 km of high-speed rail.

(PRESS RELEASE) MILAN, 19-Aug-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Webuild Group has taken another decisive step in the transformation of Italy’s rail infrastructure, securing a new €1.6 billion contract to deliver a major section of the high-speed and high-capacity Salerno–Reggio Calabria railway. The consortium, led by Webuild with partners Ghella, Pizzarotti, and tunnelling specialist SELI, will construct the Paola–Cosenza doubling section in Calabria, with Webuild responsible for 60% of the project value. Covering roughly 22.2 kilometres, most of which will run underground, the work includes the construction of the new Santomarco Tunnel, extending more than 15 kilometres and regarded as one of the most important engineering elements of the route.

The project, commissioned by RFI of the FS Italiane Group, will greatly enhance capacity along the Tyrrhenian corridor while also improving access to the inland city of Cosenza and reinforcing the Bari–Taranto–Gioia Tauro freight connection. A key feature of the project is the new double-tube, single-track Santomarco Tunnel, positioned approximately 100 metres from the current single-track tunnel, which will be retired upon completion. Excavation will be carried out using four tunnel boring machines (TBMs), underscoring the technical scale of the undertaking.

Construction is expected to generate employment for up to 1,500 people, spanning both direct and subcontracted roles. The line will pass through the Province of Cosenza, intersecting the municipalities of Paola, San Lucido, Rende, Montalto Uffugo, San Vincenzo la Costa, and San Fili. It will include nine railway bridges and two viaducts, one measuring 350 metres to cross the A2 motorway and another 205 metres to span the Settimo stream. A new station will also be built in Montalto Uffugo, providing services to the surrounding area and to the university campus in Rende.

This development forms a crucial stage in the broader Salerno–Reggio Calabria programme, part of the EU’s Scandinavian–Mediterranean TEN-T corridor, linking Southern Italy to the north and to Europe. The improvements will close infrastructure gaps, stimulate regional economies, and enhance tourism potential. The completion of the line is expected to cut travel time between Rome and Reggio Calabria from five hours to just three hours and forty minutes, significantly improving connectivity across the peninsula.

The Paola–Cosenza project adds to Webuild’s growing portfolio in Southern Italy. On the same railway, the Group is already building Lot 1A Battipaglia–Romagnano, a 35 km section that includes the Potenza–Metaponto junction, where Europe’s largest tunnel boring machine was recently deployed to excavate the Saginara Tunnel. Altogether, Webuild is now constructing approximately 60 km of the Salerno–Reggio Calabria high-speed line.

In total, the company is managing 19 projects across Southern Italy and the islands, which together account for over 320 km of high-speed and high-capacity railway. To deliver these works, Webuild has mobilised 8,700 people and engaged more than 7,600 companies in the supply chain, further cementing its role as a key driver of Italy’s infrastructure growth.

Webuild is a global leader in the construction of large, complex infrastructure projects, with a focus on sustainable mobility, hydropower, water treatment, and green buildings. A recognized leader in the water sector and active in about 50 countries, the Group employs approximately 95,000 people of over 125 nationalities. It boasts nearly 120 years of experience with over 3,700 completed projects. Its track record includes 13,648 kilometres of railways, 891 kilometres of metro lines, 82,577 kilometres of roads and highways, 1,022 kilometres of bridges and viaducts, 3,462 kilometres of tunnels, and 318 dams and hydropower plants. Among its most iconic projects are the expansion of the Panama Canal, the Long Beach International Gateway bridge in California (USA), the Second Bosphorus Bridge (Turkey), the Sydney Metro Northwest skytrain viaduct and bridge (Australia), the Kingdom Centre skyscraper in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), and metro lines in cities such as Copenhagen, Paris, Rome, Milan, Naples, Doha, Thessaloniki, and Riyadh.
Ongoing projects include the New Genoa Breakwater, the Brenner Base Tunnel, the Pedemontana Lombarda Highway, Metro di Roma’s Line C, the Genoa-Milan and Naples-Bari high-speed/high-capacity railways, the Palermo-Catania-Messina high-capacity railway, the the Snowy 2.0 hydropower scheme in Australian and the the Trojena dams in Saudi Arabia. As of December 31, 2024, the Group registered total revenues for €12 billion. As of June 30, 2025, its total order backlog stands at approximately €59 billion, with over 90% of its construction backlog related to projects linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Listed on the Borsa Italiana stock exchange in Milan (WBD; WBD.MI; WBD:IM), it is member of the MIB ESG index of Italian companies with best ESG practices. Headquartered in Italy, it is subject to the management and coordination of Salini Costruttori S.p.A.

Media Contacts:

Francesca Romana
Senior Manager – Media Relations
Tel. +39 338 247 4827

Chiarano Amarilda Karaj
email: f.chiarano@webuildgroup.com
Investor Relations
Tel +39 02 444 22476
email: a.karaj@webuildgroup.com

Francesco Squitieri
Communication Manager for Campania, Puglia, Calabria
Tel. +39 335.5494594
email: f.squitieri@webuilditalia.it

SOURCE: Webuild