Webuild Reaches Two New Milestones on the Messina–Catania Railway Line as Scaletta Tunnel Is Completed and Letojanni Tunnel Excavation Begins

Palermo-Catania-Messina New Railway Line

(IN BRIEF) Webuild has reached two new milestones on the Messina–Catania railway doubling project in Sicily, with the TBM “Letterìa” completing excavation of the first tube of the 2.7-kilometre Scaletta tunnel and the TBM “Alessia” beginning excavation of the more than 3.8-kilometre Letojanni tunnel. The project, delivered by a Webuild-led consortium on behalf of RFI, forms part of the broader Palermo–Catania–Messina railway upgrade and the TEN-T Scandinavian–Mediterranean Corridor. Once completed, the upgraded line is expected to reduce travel times by around 30 minutes between Messina and Catania and by 60 minutes between Palermo and Catania, improving mobility, tourism and economic connectivity across Sicily. The works involve 43 kilometres of new railway line, complex tunnels, viaducts and a future underground station in Taormina. The project is part of Webuild’s wider activity in Southern Italy, where the Group is working on 20 infrastructure projects, supporting 10,200 jobs and a supply chain of 7,500 companies.

(PRESS RELEASE) MILAN, 5-Jun-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Webuild has reached two important construction milestones on the Messina–Catania railway line, with excavation completed on the Scaletta tunnel and work now underway on the Letojanni tunnel. The progress marks another step forward in one of the most significant infrastructure programmes currently being delivered in Southern Italy.

The Messina–Catania railway doubling project is designed to transform mobility in eastern Sicily by improving capacity, reliability and sustainability along the Ionian corridor. The works are being carried out by a consortium led by Webuild on behalf of RFI, part of the FS Italiane Group, as part of the broader upgrade of the Palermo–Catania–Messina railway axis.

Completamento Galleria Scaletta, Raddoppio Messina-Catania

The project is advancing on multiple operational fronts. The tunnel boring machine “Letterìa” has completed excavation of the first tube of the Scaletta tunnel near Giampilieri, while the TBM “Alessia” has started excavation work on the Letojanni tunnel. The two parallel activities underline the accelerating pace of a strategic rail project intended to modernise transport links across Sicily.

Once completed, the upgraded railway line will significantly reduce travel times across the island. The journey between Messina and Catania is expected to be cut by around 30 minutes, while travel between Palermo and Catania will be reduced by approximately 60 minutes. This will bring the Messina–Catania journey time to about 45 minutes and the Palermo–Catania journey time to around two hours, supporting more efficient commuting, stronger tourism flows and improved connectivity for local production networks.

The Messina–Catania line forms part of the TEN-T Scandinavian–Mediterranean Corridor and crosses a technically complex territory where much of the new infrastructure must be built underground. The overall route includes 43 kilometres of new railway line set back from the coast, designed to overcome geological and geographical constraints that have historically limited mobility in the area.

The completion of the first tube of the Scaletta tunnel is a key milestone for the section, which includes more than 28 kilometres of new double-track railway. The TBM “Letterìa,” measuring 135 metres in length and equipped with a cutterhead of more than nine metres in diameter, excavated one of the two parallel tubes of the Scaletta tunnel, each extending more than 2.7 kilometres. The route will connect with Giampilieri station, ensuring continuity between the existing railway and the new infrastructure.

A short distance away, the TBM “Alessia” has begun a new phase of excavation at Letojanni after previously completing the nearly 2.5-kilometre Forza d’Agrò tunnel. The machine was dismantled, transported along a 90-metre viaduct over the Fondaco Parrino stream and reassembled at the entrance to the Letojanni tunnel. It will now excavate the first tube of the new tunnel, which will extend for more than 3.8 kilometres.

Once the Letojanni tunnel is completed, work will continue with a series of above-ground structures, including the Letojanni viaduct. This will consist of two parallel bridges measuring 225 metres and 245 metres, designed to cross the challenging terrain of the Ionian coastline while limiting interference with the surrounding urban fabric.

The Giampilieri–Fiumefreddo axis crosses 16 municipalities, including Taormina, and includes several highly complex engineering works. Among them is the future underground Taormina station, planned under Lot 1 Fiumefreddo–Letojanni. Although designed to be invisible at surface level, the station is expected to play an important role in supporting international tourism in one of Sicily’s most visited areas. The first lot alone includes more than 11 kilometres of tunnels and major viaducts, including the structure over the Alcantara River, which will feature a 120-metre arch span.

The Messina–Catania railway doubling project is part of Webuild’s wider industrial presence in Southern Italy. The Group is currently involved in 20 infrastructure projects across the South, supporting more than 10,200 direct and third-party jobs and working with a supply chain of around 7,500 companies, many of them local. Globally, Webuild has a workforce of around 95,000 people, including 22,000 in Italy.

The company’s industrial footprint in Sicily also includes two operational plants in Belpasso, on the slopes of Mount Etna, which produce prefabricated tunnel lining segments. A third facility in Dittaino, in the province of Enna, further strengthens the industrial capacity supporting the railway works.

Webuild also operates a training centre in Belpasso, where workers receive practical instruction using TBM simulators and construction machinery under the guidance of technicians active on project sites. The centre is helping develop specialised skills that will remain in the region after the completion of the works.

The new Sicilian railway line forms part of a broader infrastructure modernisation programme in Southern Italy. Webuild is working on six lots along the Palermo–Catania–Messina corridor, after completing the Bicocca–Catenanuova section in 2025. The Group is also active on the Ragusa–Catania motorway, a strategic connection for mobility in southeastern Sicily.

Together with major projects such as the Salerno–Reggio Calabria and Naples–Bari high-speed rail lines, these works are contributing to a stronger infrastructure backbone for Southern Italy. The objective is to create a faster, more continuous and more sustainable transport network capable of supporting economic growth, tourism, local industry and territorial cohesion across the country.

Webuild is a global leader in the construction of large, complex infrastructure, with a focus on sustainable mobility, hydropower, water treatment and supply, and green buildings. It has long been recognised as the world’s top contractor in the water infrastructure sector. Active in approximately 50 countries, the Group employs some 95,000 people directly and indirectly of over 125 nationalities. With 120 years of history and over 3,700 completed projects, Webuild boasts a track record that includes 13,686 kilometres of railways, 895 kilometres of metros, 82,708 kilometres of roads and highways, 1,023 kilometres of bridges and viaducts, 3,466 kilometres of tunnels, and 320 dams and hydropower plants. Among its most iconic delivered projects are the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the expansion of the Panama Canal, the Long Beach International Gateway in the United States, the Second Bosphorus Bridge in Turkey, the Riachuelo environmental restoration system in Argentina, and new metro lines in cities such as Copenhagen, Paris, Rome, Milan, Naples, Doha, Thessaloniki, and Riyadh. Among those under construction are strategic public works in Italy, such as the New Genoa Breakwater, the Brenner Base Tunnel, the Pedemontana Lombarda Highway, Rome Metro’s Line C, sections of high-speed and/or highcapacity railways between Genoa and Milan, Verona and Padua, Naples and Bari, and Palermo, Catania and Messina. Abroad, there is the Snowy 2.0 hydropower scheme in Australia and key sections of the Grand Paris Express in France. As of December 31, 2025, the Group reported total revenues of €13.6 billion and a total order backlog of €58.4 billion, with over 95% of the construction backlog aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Webuild is headquartered in Italy and subject to the direction and coordination of Salini Costruttori S.p.A. Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (WBD; WBD.MI; WBD:IM), its stock is included in the MIB ESG index of Italy’s leading blue-chip companies for ESG practices.

More information at www.webuildgroup.com

Media Contacts:

Francesca Romana Chiarano
Senior Manager – Media Relations
Tel. +39 02 444 22147
email: f.chiarano@webuildgroup.com

Umberto Lucentini
Communications Manager (Sicily)
Tel. +39 339.2039050
email: u.lucentini@kassar.it

SOURCE: Webuild