Webuild Group has revealed the completion of 86.5km of tunnels out of a planned total of more than 90km for the Terzo Valico dei Giovi project, bringing the project’s excavation work to 94% completion.

The breakthrough occurred at the Castagnola-Vallemme section of the Valico Tunnel.

The project is being developed by a general contractor led by Webuild on behalf of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, with engineering support from Italferr and oversight by the Italian government’s extraordinary commissioner.

Italy's Infrastructure and Transport Deputy Minister Edoardo Rixi said: “We celebrate the tenacity and expertise of thousands of workers. This breakthrough shows how every effort, when well guided, can overcome any obstacle.

“The Terzo Valico in not just a tunnel - it is the future of the Port of Genoa and logistics in Northern Italy. This is the project that will connect Italy with Europe in a structural way.”

The high-speed and high-capacity rail line will span 53km, with tunnels making up 36km of that length. The route will pass through 14 municipalities in the provinces of Genoa and Alexandria, covering areas in both the Liguria and Piemonte regions.

After completion, the main tunnel called the Galleria di Valico will extend 27km, making it the longest in Italy and the ninth longest worldwide.

The new rail link is expected to reduce travel time between Genoa and Milan to 50 minutes from the current one hour and 39 minutes. The journey between Genoa and Venice will take three hours and five minutes.

The project has involved approximately 5,000 workers and more than 2,500 suppliers since its inception.

The Terzo Valico dei Giovi project has been included as a EU priority within the wider Trans-European Transport Network initiative.

As part of this network, it will form a section of the Rhine-Alpine corridor that connects Genoa with Rotterdam, linking the Mediterranean region to the North Sea.

Italian Government Extraordinary Commissioner Calogero Mauceri said: “The Terzo Valico is an infrastructure that speaks to the country’s future. It will connect regions, local economies, and communities as part of a vision that is entirely European.

“Surpassing 50km of excavation in the Valico Tunnel confirms the solidity of a process we are leading with institutional rigour in collaboration with a unique system of expertise.”