A strategic infrastructure project for the revitalisation of Southern Italy

The upgrading of the Salerno–Reggio Calabria line represents a strategic infrastructure project for the development of an efficient high-speed/high-capacity rail corridor in Southern Italy, designed in accordance with strict environmental, landscape, and economic sustainability criteria. The project forms part of an overarching vision to strengthen the continuity of passenger and freight connections along the geographical backbone of the country, helping to address historic infrastructure gaps while accelerating the integration of the South with the rest of the nation and with broader European transport corridors.

The role of FS Engineering

FS Engineering is involved in the design of the new infrastructure, developed to advanced standards meeting capacity, performance, and sustainability requirements, within a difficult geomorphological terrain and landscape.

The infrastructure project

The new line follows an innovative alignment, compared to the legacy lines, and will significantly improve access to the high-speed rail network for large areas of Southern Italy, including the Cilento and Vallo di Diano regions, the Ionian coast, the Cosenza area, the port of Gioia Tauro, and the Messina Strait area. The infrastructure will also improve connections to Potenza, Sicily, and the main cities of Calabria, helping to enhance the freight route along the Gioia Tauro–Paola–Bari axis and strengthening the strategic role of the port of Gioia Tauro in national and international trade. Once fully operational, the line will stretch for approximately 450 km and will significantly reduce journey times, making it possible to travel from Rome to Reggio Calabria in around 3 hours and 40 minutes.

Organisation according to functional lots

The project is divided into functional lots, identified following in-depth design analyses:

• Lot 1 Battipaglia–Praia, divided into the Battipaglia–Romagnano and Romagnano–Praia sections, which also improves connections to Potenza and ensures interconnection with the mainline running along the Tyrrhenian seaboard.
• Lot 2 Praia–Tarsia, which provides a link to the Metaponto–Sibari line and the Ionian coast
• The subsequent sections – Tarsia–Montalto, Montalto–Lamezia Terme and those between Lamezia Terme, Gioia Tauro and Villa San Giovanni/Reggio Calabria – complete the Calabria corridor down to the Strait hub.

Benefits and regional integration

The construction of the Salerno–Reggio Calabria HS/HC line will ensure a significant reduction in journey times, improved accessibility to the rail network, and enhanced integration with the region’s port and airport systems. The project will also contribute to the development of freight and passenger traffic along the north–south corridor, promoting a modal shift and improving the competitiveness of rail transport. Of particular importance is the enhancement of rail connections with Sicily and the port of Gioia Tauro, a logistics hub of primary importance in the Mediterranean. The project has been developed according to an approach focused on sustainability and local compatibility, with design solutions aimed at minimising environmental impact and enhancing the local areas concerned.

Overall, the new line represents a key infrastructure for the revitalisation of Southern Italy, contributing to a more efficient, integrated and sustainable transport system, in line with the development objectives of the national and European rail networks.