Palermo, 3 November 2026
Another important step forward for rail mobility in Palermo. With the opening to the public of the new Palermo Politeama Station and the Palermo Porto Stop, scheduled for 4 November, the first functional phase of the Palermo Ring Railway closure project has been completed, with FS Engineering responsible for Works Supervision.
The new infrastructure was presented during the inaugural journey in the presence of the President of the Sicilian Region Renato Schifani, the Mayor of Palermo Roberto Lagalla, FS Engineering Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Dario Lo Bosco, and Rete Ferroviaria Italiana Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Aldo Isi.
The new railway line represents a strategic development for rail transport in the city of Palermo, connecting the city centre with the airport through an interchange with the Passante Ferroviario at Notarbartolo Station.
The project was developed entirely within Palermo’s city centre and involved the construction of approximately 1.7 km of new underground single-track railway line. Starting from the existing Giachery Stop, the line initially runs through an open cutting before continuing underground beneath the state-owned port area, where the new underground Porto Stop was built. From there, it runs parallel to Via Francesco Crispi and continues through a cut-and-cover tunnel beneath Via Emerico Amari, reaching Via Ruggero Settimo and Piazza Castelnuovo, where the new Politeama Station was built.
Politeama Station is arranged over three levels and features polychrome marble finishes in earthy red tones. Access is provided at three points in Piazza Castelnuovo, with fixed stairways, escalators and a lift. Palermo Porto is also arranged over two levels, with polychrome marble finishes in dark blue tones that visually evoke its proximity to the sea and the port area.
The completion of this phase is the result of a process requiring the coordination of multidisciplinary expertise across the design, construction, integration and testing of the new systems, which have been certified by ANSFISA and designed to meet current railway safety standards and network requirements.
Within this framework, FS Engineering supported the delivery of the project through its Works Supervision activities, bringing together different professional skills and specialist expertise in managing a railway project delivered within one of the city’s most complex urban environments.
This approach had already proved essential in the construction of the Palermo Libertà Stop, which entered service in October 2024 as part of the same first functional phase. Built in correspondence with the existing Ranchibile tunnel, the stop required close integration between Works Supervision, the Project Team and various specialist functions within the company.
With Politeama and Porto, the first functional phase of the project is therefore complete, while work on the second phase to complete the Palermo Ring Railway is continuing in parallel. Once fully completed, the project is expected to increase the line’s capacity and accessibility and strengthen Palermo’s metropolitan rail system, creating a connection between the city centre, the port and, via the interchange with the Passante Ferroviario at Notarbartolo, Punta Raisi Airport.