The Orsara-Bovino section is part of an upgrade of the Naples-Bari High Speed railway, which foresees a doubling of the line's capacity in order to make rail transport more competitive than road transport. The upgrade will improve the rail network in the southeast with a high-speed/high-capacity service that will increase service across the south.

The Orsara-Bovino section is to be 11.8 kilometres long and support trains travelling at speeds ranging between 200 and 250 kilometres per hour. The project will double the capacity of the existing single-rail train service along this section, passing for the most part through a tunnel of 9.871 kilometres in length, the Orsara Tunnel. It will also comprise a temporary connection of a double-rail line with the historic one for 1.08 kilometres, supporting trains travelling at speeds of up to 90 kilometres per hour.