Webuild Invites Public to Name Two of Europe’s Largest Tunnel-Boring Machines for Italy’s High-Speed Rail Project

TBM Name Challenge, AV Salerno-Reggio Calabria

(IN BRIEF) Webuild has initiated a public naming contest for two of Europe’s largest tunnel-boring machines, which are about to begin excavating on Lot 1A of the Salerno-Reggio Calabria high-speed railway. The public can vote until November 7 for either myth-inspired names, Leucosia and Ligea, or culturally inspired ones, Elvira and Olga, with winners to be announced on November 12. The TBMs, each with a 13.46-meter cutterhead, will work alongside the already-active “Partenope” machine. The project, led by Webuild and partners Pizzarotti, Ghella, and Tunnel Pro for RFI, covers 35 kilometers between Battipaglia and Romagnano and includes multiple tunnels and viaducts. Once finished, it will enhance high-speed rail links between southern Italy and Sicily as part of the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).

(PRESS RELEASE) SALERNO, 31-Oct-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Two colossal tunnel-boring machines (TBMs), among the largest ever built in Europe, are poised to begin their underground mission in southern Italy. Before they start carving through the earth on the Salerno-Reggio Calabria high-speed railway, Webuild is inviting the public to take part in a naming contest steeped in local culture and history.

The initiative, titled “Name the Giants,” allows people to vote for their favorite pair of names until November 7. In keeping with the custom of giving female names to TBMs, voters can choose between two sets of contenders. One pair, Leucosia and Ligea, pays homage to the mythical sirens said to have lived in the Bay of Salerno. The other, Elvira and Olga, celebrates two distinguished women from Salerno’s cultural heritage — filmmaker Elvira Notari, recognized as Italy’s first female film director, and painter-ceramist Olga Schiavo. The winning names will be revealed on November 12 through Webuild’s official social media channels.

These two massive machines, each boasting a cutterhead diameter of 13.46 meters, will soon begin tunnelling work on Lot 1A of the high-speed railway between Salerno and Reggio Calabria. They will join “Partenope,” another TBM currently in operation since February on the Saginara tunnel, together marking a milestone for Webuild’s engineering achievements in Europe.

The Salerno-Reggio Calabria project, led by a consortium headed by Webuild with partners Pizzarotti, Ghella, and Tunnel Pro on behalf of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI, part of the FS Italiane Group), is one of Italy’s most ambitious transport infrastructure developments. Lot 1A covers 35 kilometers of new track between Battipaglia and Romagnano and features 20 tunnels—eight to be excavated by four TBMs—and 19 viaducts. Once completed, the high-speed line will enhance connectivity across southern Italy and link with Sicily through the future Strait of Messina Bridge, forming part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) corridors that strengthen Europe’s rail integration.

To participate in the contest, visit the page: https://tbmnamechallenge.salernoreggiocalabria.it/

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 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 319 dams and hydropower plants. Among its most iconic projects are the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia, 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 PalermoCatania-Messina high-capacity railway, the Snowy 2.0 hydropower scheme in Australia and the Dams System in Trojena in the Kingdom of 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.

More information at www.webuildgroup.com

Media Relations

Francesca Romana Chiarano
Senior Manager – Media Relations
Tel. +39 338 247 4827
email: f.chiarano@webuildgroup.com

Francesco Squitieri
Regional Communications Manager (Campania, Calabria, and Apulia)
Tel. +39 335.5494594
email: f.squitieri@webuilditalia.it

SOURCE: Webuild S.p.A.