FS Engineering plays a pivotal role in the new Naples–Bari link: the Naples–Cancello realignment opens for traffic

The opening of the Naples–Cancello route realignment on 30 June 2026 marks a major milestone in modernising rail transport in southern Italy, serving as a key section of the Naples–Bari HS/HC project. This new infrastructure enables direct rail links between Naples and Bari, eliminating a historical service bottleneck that previously required routing via Caserta and a train change.

This achievement significantly enhances the national rail network by improving connection efficiency along the cross-country Tyrrhenian–Adriatic corridor. Consequently, it boosts the accessibility, competitiveness, and sustainability of rail transport across the region.

FS Engineering played a central role in in delivering this milestone, deploying multidisciplinary expertise and advanced engineering capabilities. The company successfully managed a highly complex technical and construction project developed within a heavily urbanised area on the outskirts of Naples.

The commissioning of this section is part of the broader construction programme for the Naples–Bari HS/HC line, funded through NRRP (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) and NOP (National Operational Programme) resources. The scope includes opening the new Acerra station and commissioning the platform stop at the Naples Afragola HS station for passenger services. This delivers tangible benefits to passengers and local communities while fostering integration between the high-speed network, regional transport, and local mobility.

Crucially, this upgrade reinforces Naples Afragola station as a strategic interchange between the Rome–Naples and Naples–Bari HS/HC lines, cementing its role as a central hub for national and regional mobility.

Spanning approximately 15.6 km on an entirely new alignment, the project showcases engineering excellence through innovative solutions and advanced technologies. The route comprises 3.3 km of cut-and-cover tunnels—partially constructed using hyperbaric excavation techniques—3.7 km of viaducts, and over 8 km of embankments. It also features new passenger stations and stops, eliminates numerous level crossings, and introduces new road networks to enhance local connectivity.

Beyond its transport benefits, the project drives significant local regeneration. Reconfiguring the passenger stops and stations dismantles historical infrastructural barriers, fostering urban renewal, environmental upgrades, and new socio-economic opportunities for local communities.

FS Engineering provided decisive expertise across construction supervision, technical coordination, systems integration, and infrastructure commissioning. Bringing the new alignment into service required complex interventions on command, control, and signalling (CCS) systems, telecommunications, passenger information systems (PIS), and operational support technologies, ensuring seamless integration into the existing network, according to the highest standards of safety and reliability.

The outcome confirms FS Engineering’s leading role in the design and construction of the country's major strategic infrastructure. The company successfully manages projects of high technical, organisational, and technological complexity while also driving the sustainability, innovation, and territorial cohesion goals underpinning the current transformation of the national rail system.

On the same day, 30 June, the NRRP milestone for the Frasso Telesino–Telese functional lot was also achieved, while on the Cancello–Frasso section—already commissioned as a double-track line last February—the new stops of Frasso Telesino-Dugenta and Valle Maddaloni entered service, confirming the steady progress of the entire Naples–Bari route.