Webuild’s Largest Tunnel Boring Machine Begins Salerno-Reggio Calabria Rail Project, Pioneering New Innovations in Sustainable Infrastructure

Webuild’s Largest Tunnel Boring Machine Begins Salerno-Reggio Calabria Rail Project, Pioneering New Innovations in Sustainable Infrastructure

(IN BRIEF) Webuild has received its largest Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) in Europe to work on the Salerno-Reggio Calabria High-Speed Rail Line. The 13-meter wide machine, equipped with 18 motors and 10 Megawatts of power, will excavate tunnels for Lot 1A of the project, which aims to connect northern and southern Italy through a sustainable high-speed rail system. Another TBM, reconditioned at Webuild’s Terni facility, showcases the company’s commitment to the circular economy. The project is part of broader efforts to boost Italy’s mobility, employing thousands of workers and supporting regional development.

(PRESS RELEASE) SALERNO, 30-Sep-2024— /EuropaWire/ — Webuild has taken a significant step forward in the Salerno-Reggio Calabria High-Speed Rail Line project with the arrival of its largest Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) in Europe at the Port of Salerno. The colossal machine, designed for Lot 1A (Battipaglia-Romagnano), will be used to excavate tunnels along the railway line. With a cutting-edge design, the TBM is equipped with 18 motors generating 10 Megawatts of power and features a cutter head over 13 meters in diameter. This will allow it to operate continuously, requiring the expertise of over 100 specialized workers.

In addition to this newly arrived TBM, another machine from the Grand Paris Express project has been reconditioned at Webuild’s Terni facility—an industrial hub dedicated to remanufacturing TBMs in support of the circular economy. This innovation marks Webuild as a leader in sustainable construction practices and technological advancement.

Webuild currently has 60 TBMs, with 40 being used for projects in Italy, and 30 dedicated to work in the South. These ongoing projects employ 6,800 workers and contribute significantly to the construction of over 300 kilometers of high-speed railway. The ultimate goal of Lot 1A is to upgrade the country’s sustainable mobility, connecting northern and southern Italy with a railway that supports the energy transition while fostering economic growth and improved connectivity across Europe.

Webuild is a global leader in the design and construction of large, complex projects in the sectors of sustainable mobility, hydropower, water management and production, and green buildings. For many years, the recognized leader in the water sector, also ranking
among the Top 10 international players in Australia, Europe and the US, the Group has consolidated experience in 50 countries. In almost 120 years of applied engineering on more than 3,200 projects, the Webuild Group has built 14,140 kilometres of rail and metro
lines, 82,533 kilometres of roads and highways, 1,020 kilometres of bridges and viaducts, 3,408 kilometres of tunnels, and 313 dams and hydropower plants. Projects include the expansion of the Panama Canal, the Long Beach International Gateway in California, the
Third Bosphorus Bridge in Turkey, the skytrain bridge of the metropolitan train line north-west of Sydney, the Kingdom Centre skyscraper in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, and metro lines in Copenhagen, Paris, Rome, Milan, Doha and Ryadh. Projects under construction include the New Genoa Breakwater, the Brenner Base Tunnel, Line 4 of Milan’s metro, and Line C of Rome’s metro, the Genoa-Milan high-capacity railway line, and railway lines on the HS Naples-Bari and HC Palermo-Catania-Messina railway routes, the Snowy 2.0 hydroelectric project in Australia, and the Trojena project for NEOM in Saudi Arabia. As of June 30, 2024, the Webuild Group with approximately 90,000 people, achieved a total backlog of €65 billion, with over 90% of its construction backlog related to projects linked to the advancement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As of December 31, 2023, the Group achieved €10 billion in total revenues. Webuild, subject to the direction and coordination of Salini Costruttori S.p.A., is headquartered in Italy and is listed on the Milan stock exchange (WBD; WBD.MI; WBD:IM). Since 2021, it is member of the MIB ESG, the index of Italian companies with the best ESG practices.

Media Contacts:

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

Francesco Squitieri
Campania, Puglia, Calabria Communications Managers
Tel. +39 335.5494594
email: f.squitieri@webuilditalia.it

SOURCE: Webuild