The “Aurora” TBM was moved to the Apice–Hirpinia section of the Naples–Bari high-speed/high-capacity rail line, between June 4 and 8, 2026, along a purpose-built haul road in the Ufita River Valley.
The tunnel boring machine, which recently completed the excavation of the Grottaminarda Tunnel (a single-tube, double-track tunnel approximately 2 km long), was disassembled and transported to the opposite side at the entrance to the future Melito Tunnel, where it will be reassembled to commence excavation by early autumn, keeping the project strictly on schedule.
This milestone represents a strategic step in the progress of the project, enabled by a complex system of temporary structures designed specifically for the safe transit of extraordinarily heavy loads across highly challenging terrain. Indeed, the topography of the Ufita Valley demanded advanced engineering solutions and meticulous operational phasing and logistics planning.
The central component is this infrastructure it the TBM haul road, featuring a temporary steel bridge constructed to span the Ufita River, along with its associated ground reinforcement and stabilization works. The haul road is approximately 500 metres long, with an average width of about 9 metres, being widened locally at critical maneuvering zones.
The structural load-bearing capacity of the subgrade was engineered to withstand the gross weight of the modular trailers used for heavy-haul transport. These trailers transferred the primary TBM assemblies – including the cutterhead, shields, and backup gantries – amounting to a total combined load of approximately 17,500 kN (≈1,800 tonnes).