GENOA, December 4, 2025 – Excavators have completed 86.5 kilometres of tunnel work out of a total of more than 90 kilometres planned for the Terzo Valico dei Giovi project, whose development is being done by the General Contractor led by Webuild on behalf of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI), with engineering support from Italferr – both of the FS Italiane Group – under the supervision of the Government’s Extraordinary Commissioner, Calogero Mauceri. The breakthrough at the Castagnola–Vallemme section of the Valico Tunnel – the railway tunnel that, with approximately 27 kilometres for each track, will be the longest in Italy – has brought the project to 94 percent completion of tunnel excavation.

The breakthrough brings to approximately 94 percent the completion of the tunnel network. The milestone was the highlight of the celebrations for Saint Barbara, patron saint of miners and underground workers, held in the Main Chamber of the Valico Tunnel, where Cossi Costruzioni, a Webuild Group company, is also involved. The breakthrough concerned the most complex sections – Vallemme and Castagnola – at the heart of the Ligurian Apennines. 

The celebration, officiated by Archbishop Monsignor Marco Tasca, was attended by Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini (via video link from Brussels), Deputy Minister Edoardo Rixi, and Liguria Region President Marco Bucci, Regional Councillor for Transport Marco Scajola, Genoa City Council President Claudio Villa, along with the Government’s Extraordinary Commissioner for the project Calogero Mauceri, Webuild Chief Executive Pietro Salini, and RFI Chief Executive and General Manager Aldo Isi. 

“We celebrate the tenacity and expertise of thousands of workers. This breakthrough shows how every effort, when well guided, can overcome any obstacle,” Deputy Minister Rixi said. “The Terzo Valico in not just a tunnel - it is the future of the Port of Genoa and logistics in Northern Italy. This is the project that will connect Italy with Europe in a structural way.”

“Every time a diaphragm falls, a barrier falls – one that kept us from a faster, more connected and more competitive future,” said Marco Bucci, President of the Liguria Region. “Today, we celebrate an important milestone in the progress of the Terzo Valico, as well as the day of Saint Barbara, patron saint of construction workers. I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to the workers and technicians who – with dedication and professionalism – make possible a strategic project for the mobility of Liguria and the entire country.”

“The Terzo Valico is an infrastructure that speaks to the country’s future. It will connect regions, local economies, and communities as part of a vision that is entirely European. Surpassing 50 kilometres of excavation in the Valico Tunnel confirms the solidity of a process we are leading with institutional rigour in collaboration with a unique system of expertise,” said Commissioner Mauceri. “On a symbolic day like Saint Barbara’s, I want to express my appreciation to all the workers on site as well as those in the institutions and companies that also contribute every day to the realisation of a strategic project for Italy’s competitiveness. This is not just a construction site. It is an example of an Italy that knows how to deliver. Every metre excavated is a step toward a more modern and competitive logistics network for our country. With excavation at 94 percent, the data speaks for itself: the Terzo Valico is in the home stretch.”   

“The Terzo Valico dei Giovi–Genoa Junction project is much more than a piece of infrastructure,” said Webuild Chief Executive Salini. “It is an example of how Italy can compete and grow by investing in strategic and sustainable works. Italy needs integrated projects that create a system, as we are doing in Liguria. The example of Liguria with the New Genoa Breakwater, the Genoa Railway Junction, and the Terzo Valico dei Giovi shows how a comprehensive vision can position Italy at the centre of Mediterranean and European logistics, and at the heart of the TEN-T networks.” Salini emphasised that the Terzo Valico dei Giovi is “a profound act of responsibility toward future generations”. The work carried out by 5,000 people, involving more than 2,500 suppliers since the start of construction, is a direct response to the country’s true priorities: jobs, development, and welfare, he added.

For RFI Chief Executive Aldo Isi, “The breakthrough of the Castagnola–Vallemme tunnel diaphragm represents both a symbolic and defining moment: a significant technical milestone that demonstrates progress on the Terzo Valico and the Genoa Junction, while highlighting the work that has been carried out on the project. On Saint Barbara’s Day, we celebrate the commitment of all the women and men working underground, who provide their expertise, dedication, and a strong sense of responsibility. My thoughts go first and foremost to them: the workers, technicians, and engineers who, through their constant effort, make the construction of strategic projects for the country possible.”

The Terzo Valico dei Giovi–Genoa Junction project, part of the Trans-European Transport (TEN-T) Rhine-Alpine Corridor, will reduce travel times between Genoa and Milan to about one hour, strengthening connections between Ligurian ports and the rest of Europe. An 8.5-kilometre section of the Terzo Valico and the quadrupling of the Genoa Voltri–Sampierdarena Junction are already operational.

The breakthrough event included a live feed with other railway construction sites, particularly the Trappitello site in Messina, Sicily. It created a virtual bridge between crucial projects for a fully connected and competitive Italy.

The day also marked the 75th anniversary of SELI Overseas, a Webuild Group company and global tunneling leader. Since 1950, SELI Overseas has contributed to some of the world’s most challenging underground works, bringing expertise and technologies that today help make possible progress on the Terzo Valico and other strategic projects, including major tunnel sections of the new high-speed lines Naples–Bari and Salerno–Reggio Calabria, and the high-capacity Palermo–Catania–Messina route.