Bicocca-Catenanuova railway section

The Bicocca-Catenanuova section extends for 38 km. It is the first section to be completed along the new Palermo-Catania-Messina high-capacity railway axis. It was inaugurated in October 2025. 

The intervention has doubled the historical line, eliminating all of the level crossings, taking the trains' maximum speed from 100 to 160 km/h. Travelling from Catania to Catenanuova has gone from 25 to 17 minutes. 

The work required 1.5 million earthworks, 17 viaducts, 8 railway overpasses and over 110 structural works, with also over 100 technological devices. 

Works took place almost entirely on the surface, with the construction of viaducts up to 500 metres long that pass the the Simeto and Buttaceto waterways. 

The 17 viaducts built are structurally diverse.

• 2 have been built in mixed steel-concrete (among these: the Vigne Vecchie Viaduct, 398 m).
• 4 with a metal structure.
• 1 with prestressed beams
• 10 with built-in beams in steel and concrete.

The main works cross the Simeto River, the most important river in the island; and the Buttaceto river, where improvement solutions were implemented to ensure maintenance over time.

• Mobile walkways and self-propelled platforms for inspection purposes.
• Mobile baskets and aluminium scaffolding for external maintenance.
• Mobile single-track platforms along the entire length of the main viaducts.

Moreover, the section includes the new Sferro Electric Sub-Station (150 kV), the Biccocca TE Cabin and 5 technological shelters for managing traffic, fire safety and video-surveillance.

Two dedicated data networks were also implemented to connect trains, the railway and movements management central hub.

Territorial benefits

Besides improving mobility, the project has also left the territory with tangible sustainable development. 

Webuild, collaborated with RFI and the Consorzio di Bonifica della Regione Siciliana, during the drought emergency, to change 25 km of water conduits in the Catania Plain, near the new railway line. 

The new tubes are modern and resistant. They allowed eliminating water leaks, handing back an essential infrastructure for agriculture and daily life to the community.

Environmental sustainability and circularity 

The Bicocca–Catenanuova section is a clear example of circular economy applied to engineering. 
Approximately 700,000 m3 of excavation material was reused, with expected savings of 100,000 m3 of material. 

The "zero landfill" target was reached by selecting and reusing construction site materials, including the disused railway ballast, which has been used again to build the base strata of the new traffic routes. 

All operations were verified with the Kore University of Enna, ensuring the technical and environmental pass of all recovered materials. 

The reduction of tyre transport and the stabilization of the land contributed to improving the air quality in the surrounding areas and at reducing the landscape impact of the works.