INTRO: Construction work on the 205 km high speed line between Roma and Napoli is nearly complete, but progress has been slow because of archaeological treasures found along the route and the need to complete trials with ETCS Level 2. TAV Managing Director Antonio Savini Nicci briefed Murray Hughes in Roma
THIS MONTH should see an ETR500 test train reach 300 km/h on a section of the Roma - Napoli high speed line. Trial runs touched 150 km/h early in the year, and the maximum was raised to 200 km/h in March. Reaching the line speed of 300 km/h will be an important milestone - not least because it will be achieved using ETCS Level 2.
In March, preparations for the launch of services over the new line were still at an early stage, and demonstrating that ERTMS can operate to the standards of reliability needed for commercial operation remains a serious challenge (p278). In the meantime, the contractors must finish building the line.
Antonio Savini Nicci, Managing Director of Treno Alta Velocità, says he is ’satisfied’ with progress to date. But he concedes that there have been ’a lot of problems’, pointing to the treasure trove of archaeological remains where ’we found a site every 500m’ along the route.
Despite carrying out aerial surveys before work began, it was impossible to avoid the affected areas, especially near Roma and Napoli. On the approach to Roma, for example, an ancient Roman road was discovered, and its excellent condition demanded that it be moved to a special archaeological park. All this means that the opening date for the line has been put back to October 2005, according to Savini Nicci.
Steady progress
Work on the line began in 1994, and the project is now 90% complete with 186 km of the alignment finished. Construction of the 10 km approach to Roma did not start until early 2002, and by March 2004 about 30% had been completed. Civil works are also still in hand on the approaches to Napoli, and only in 2005 will the new line be connected to Napoli Centrale station.
The current timetable for handover to operator Trenitalia foresees the completion of all works and final tests by General Contractor Iricav Uno in February 2005. This will leave eight months for Trenitalia to carry out driver training and staff familiarisation.
Once commercial operations start, fastest journey times will be cut from 1h 45min to 1h 25min, with the number of trains between the two cities rising from 343 to 526 a day. When all the work is finished in Napoli, journey times will be further reduced to 1h5min.
Hilly alignment
In Roma the high speed line branches off the route to Sulmona and briefly follows the Roma - l’Aquila A24 motorway before joining the alignment of the A1 motorway to Napoli. It follows this for most of the way, first cutting through the Colli Albani hills in a 6·6 km tunnel to reach its highest elevation at 368m above sea level (map p275).
The line then falls on a series of long downgrades through the Sacco and Liri valleys before crossing the River Gari. It rises again and passes through several tunnels to cross the Monte Lungo hills, before descending to the Volturno plain on the approach to Napoli.
Four junctions are provided with existing lines, at Frosinone Nord, Cassino Sud, Caserta Nord and at Gricignano outside Napoli. This required the construction of 21 km of link lines, with a further 13 km of new alignment built to improve existing routes. The Frosinone and Cassino junctions allow trains to switch to and from the Roma - Napoli route via Cassino, while the junction at Caserta allows trains to gain access to the main line to Foggia, Bari and Brindisi on the Adriatic coast. The junction at Gricignano provides an alternative access to the network serving Napoli.
Remodelling at Napoli
Construction of the new line has provided the opportunity to remodel much of the Napoli rail network to give better interchange between the different operators. Arriving in Napoli, the high speed line will serve the future station of Campania Afragola, where interchange will be provided to services on existing lines and the Circumvesuviana Railway.
Due to open in 2008, Afragola station has been designed by London-based architect Zaha Hadid, who last year won a competition to design the structure. Ticketing and retail facilities will be housed in a multi-level 350m long bridge running diagonally across the tracks. Sweeping ramps from ground level on each side will give the station a dramatic appearance intended to emphasise the new line’s presence in the city.
After calling at Afragola, high speed trains from Roma will pass through a complex junction at Casoria Nord. One branch will give access to the main line leading south to Salerno, Battipaglia and Reggio Calabria, and the other route will take trains into Napoli Centrale station.
Savini Nicci puts the total cost of the project at €5·2bn, just under one-fifth of the €28bn programme to equip Italy with a national high speed network stretching from Torino in the north to Napoli in the south. Around €12bn has been spent so far, with €3·4bn invested during 2003. The 2004 budget is set at €4·2bn. Nicci says ’we are now pushing and pushing’ to complete the job - ’I think this is the most important construction project in Italy, if not in Europe’.
TABLE: Roma - Napoli in summary
Length km 204·6
Length in tunnel km 38
Number of tunnels 110
Longest tunnel km 6·6
Elevated sections and viaducts km 165
Number of viaducts 88
Minimum curve radius m 5450
Steepest gradient 1·8%
Maximum speed km/h 300
Power supply 25 kV 50Hz
Treno Alta Velocità
TAV SpA is the FS Group subsidiary retained by infrastructure owner Rete Ferroviaria Italiana to design and build high speed lines. TAV acts as a project manager, co-ordinating the activities of consortia and contractors. Its role changed in 1997-98, when radical changes were made to the Italian high speed line programme. At this stage, the main objective changed from high speed per se to high capacity.
TAV is now under the control of RFI and its role has also changed to ensure that the high speed lines are fully integrated with the rest of the network. TAV’s responsibility includes remodelling works in urban areas including the construction of new stations for the high speed lines. Separate tracks are being established for high speed routes and local services in the conurbations, similar to the S-Bahn projects in Germany.
Iricav Uno is the general contractor appointed to build the Roma - Napoli line. This consortium consists of Ansaldo Trasporti, Astaldi, Società Italiana Condotte d’Acqua, Consorzio Co-operative Costruzioni, Fintecna, Icla, Italstrade and Vianini Lavori. Supplier of the 25 kV 50Hz electrification equipment is Balfour Beatty, while track is the responsibility of Pegaso Armamento.
CAPTION: TOP:An ETR500 trainset is being used to test ETCS and other equipment on the Roma - Napoli line Photo:David Campione
BELOW:The line has four junctions with existing routes, allowing intermediate stations such as Cassino to be served by high speed trains
CAPTION: High speed pointwork with swing-nose crossings is used at the junction with the old line near Frosinone
CAPTION: Around 80% of the alignment runs on viaduct or elevated section. Reflecting the 300 km/h line speed, the distance between track centres is 5m
L’ouverture de Roma - Napoli retardée jusqu’à l’an prochain
La mise en service des 204·6 km de ligne à grande vitesse entre Roma et Napoli a été reportée à octobre 2005. Sur la plus grande partie de la ligne, les travaux de construction n’ont progressé que lentement en raison de nombreuses découvertes archéologiques, et bien que 186 km soient achevés, la section finale de 20 km dans Napoli est encore en construction. Des essais avec l’ERTMS de niveau 2 sont en cours, avec un train d’essais dont on attend qu’il atteigne 300 km/h dès ce mois-ci
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