Naples-Bari HS/HC Railway Line, Apice-Hirpinia Section

​The Apice-Hirpinia Lot foresees building an overall 18.7 km of HS railway line, of which about 13 km in a tunnel, divided into 3 tunnels (Grottaminarda, Melito and Rocchetta), along a section featuring a high structural and geo-morphological complexity passing through the Ariano Irpino-Grottaminarda, Melito Irpino, Flumeri (Province of Avellino) section and Apice, S Arcangelo and Trimonte-Paduli (Province of Benevento). 

The Apice – Hirpinia railway line will be part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), a European Commission policy aimed at integrating the continent's various transport networks.

The new line will allow trains to travel up to 200 kilometres an hour. It adds to other lots of the TEN-T european network that the group is constructing on the Naples-Bari HS/HC line.

The project foresees constructing Hirpinia Station, which will include 4 tracks 8two central and two lateral ones), a passenger building built on two levels and two pavements measuring 400 m to serve passengers. The new station will be equipped with a shelter-porch system that will envelop the passenger building. A building for technologies and plants is also foreseen, with canopy roofs for the pavements to serve passengers.  

Three double-track natural tunnels are also foreseen to be built with 2 TBMs: the Grottaminarda Tunnel, a double track one, measuring approximately 1965 m in length; the Melito Tunnel, measuring approximately 4413 m in length, which will be equipped with three windows with an emergency exit and a pedestrian tunnel that is parallel to the main tunnel.  The third tunnel, the Rocchetta Tunnel, measures approximately 6455 m and will be equipped with 3 windows with emergency exits and two pedestrian tunnels that are parallel to the main tunnel.

The project also includes four viaducts among which the Ufita Hirpinia Viaduct, a double track one, measuring 655 m, with 23 spans (of which 20 spans measuring 25 m each, two 45 m ones and a 65 m one); the Ufita Melito Viaduct, with a length of approximately 230 m; the Ufita Rocchetta Viaduct that measures in total 415 m; the Ufita Apice viaduct measuring in total approximately 705 m, the fourth and final viaduct crossing the Ufita river.

TBM Aurora and Futura: innovation and technology for the Naples-Bari High-Speed Rail Line 

The TBMs Aurora and Futura are among the main protagonists of the excavation activities on the Apice-Hirpinia Lot of the Naples-Bari high-speed rail line. Designed to operate in complex geological conditions and in the presence of groundwater, they embody innovation, safety and sustainability applied to the construction of major underground infrastructure. 

TBM Aurora: key features and figures 

The Aurora TBM is an EPB (Earth Pressure Balance) machine used for the excavation of the Melito Tunnel. Approximately 100 metres long, with a weight of around 1,600 tonnes and equipped with a 12.5-metre-diameter cutterhead, it is powered by 18 motors delivering a total output of 6.3 MW. During excavation, it will operate at a maximum depth of approximately 130 metres and will install more than 2,470 lining rings, equivalent to over 22,200 precast concrete segments, supported by approximately 140 specialised operators and technicians. The name Aurora was chosen by pupils from the Comprehensive Schooling Institutes of Grottaminarda and Melito Irpino, symbolising the reappearance of light at the end of the tunnel. 

Key KPIs

• 100 m in length
• 1,600 t in weight
• 12.5 m cutterhead diameter
• 6.3 MW installed power

The transfer of Aurora: a highly complex operation 

Before excavation began on the Melito Tunnel, the Aurora TBM completed the Grottaminarda Tunnel, which is 2 km long, installing more than 1,100 precast lining rings. 

The machine was then dismantled, transported and reassembled at the new excavation site through a highly complex engineering operation involving the relocation of components with a combined weight of approximately 1,600 tonnes. 

Special 44-axle SPMTs were used to transport the oversized components along a temporary reinforced-concrete haul road approximately 650 metres long, including a steel bridge of approximately 28 metres to cross the Ufita River. 

TBM Futura: innovation, safety and sustainability 

The Futura TBM incorporates advanced technologies designed to enhance operational efficiency, safety and sustainability during tunnelling activities. It features real-time digital monitoring systems and predictive software that optimise excavation progress and the management of excavated material. 

Safety is ensured through equipment compliant with ATEX regulations and a network of sensors that continuously monitors operating conditions, automatically activating warning and protection procedures when required. Among its most advanced technologies is the BEAM Scan system, which enables real-time forecasting and monitoring of ground conditions and potential water inflows ahead of the excavation face, improving both safety and operational efficiency. 

Another distinctive feature is the interchangeability of excavation tools, allowing the TBM to adapt to the varying geological conditions of the Apennines while improving performance and reducing risks associated with subsurface variability. 

Sustainability and efficient resource management 

Sustainability is a key component of the Futura TBM. Dedicated systems for recovering industrial, rainwater and drainage water enable the machine to reuse approximately 40% of water resources employed during construction activities. 

Through dedicated collection and reuse systems, the construction process reduces dependence on external water supplies and contributes to making the construction site more efficient and close to operational self-sufficiency.