Project History
The long history of the high-speed train which connects Milan to Genoa
Terzo Valico: a modern, efficient work for Northern Italy
In addition to being a highly innovative work, the Terzo Valico is a transport revolution for Northern Italy, if we consider the lines that currently connect Genoa to Milan. The "Giovi line" was completed in the mid-nineteenth century. With its "35 per thousand" slope, and its considerable tortuosity, it is now almost exclusively used for the local transport of people. The second line, the "Succursale dei Giovi" one, used for long-distance traffic, was instead completed at the beginning of the twentieth century. It has a gradient of 17 per thousand.
Building a new high-capacity line to cover the same route means taking a leap of over a century. A technological leap, to be more precise, to be more sustainable, placing a modern, efficient work at the service of this area.
The origin of the Terzo Valico dei Giovi goes back to the distant past. As far back as 1991, when investments in High-Speed trains were launched by the Italian government.
From 1991 to today: the Terzo Valico becomes a strategic work to relaunch the territory
Since 1991, all interventions on the Terzo Valico have followed the various approval procedures required by law. In 2001, the work was included in Italy's Strategic Infrastructure programme.
On December 19, 2004, the conference of services (Conferenza dei Servizi) closed, and the work obtained the favourable opinion of the Ministry of the Environment and Land Protection, the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities, the Ministry of the Interior, the Liguria Region, the Piedmont Region, the Province of Genoa, the Province of Alessandria, 16 municipalities and 44 other administrations.
On March 22, 2006, the high-capacity Genoa-Milan line obtained the definitive go-ahead from CIPE. It became a common project, a major one, to relaunch a strategic territory of the country.
Since then, and up to May 2017, the project's first four construction lots were activated. And the route actually began to take shape.
Although the high-capacity line was conceived 30 years ago, its purpose has not changed. The goal, today, just as then, is to create a modern railway connection between the Genoese port system with the markets of northern Europe. And also to create a "backport" with the vast area of the country, which includes the Piedmont, Lombardy and Veneto regions, within which 50% of national goods are handled, and 45% of the country's GDP is produced.
Terzo Valico dei Giovi - Genova Junction - One Project: Boosting development
A great work, a lever to develop the territory
The strategic value of this infrastructure has not only been acknowledged by the whole of Italy, but also from the European Union itself. The latter and the European Investment Bank also conducted investigations on the project, confirming the importance, for Europe, of building this railway line. These investigations were initially done between 2002 and 2004. And then again, between 2009 and 2013.
The milestone of the Project
April 16, 2021
Serravalle Tunnel Breakthrough
Webuild completes Serravalle Tunnel for Terzo Valico dei Giovi: excavation at 65% of completion. The completion of the Serravalle Tunnel will allow the strategic connection of all the operational sites that develop in a section of the railway line of about 22 km.
September 24, 2020
#break2 Valico Tunnel and Serravalle Tunnel
The breakthroughs are the latest milestones achieved along the two most important underground sections of the railway: the Valico Tunnel (Galleria di Valico) and the Serravalle Tunnel (Galleria dei Serravalle). Once completed, the Valico will be the longest railway tunnel in Italy.
Latest milestone of the Project
April 16, 2021 - The completion of the Serravalle Tunnel.
