The project of mega railway tunnel Lombardy Liguriawhich will connect the two regions in less than an hour’s journey by 2026, is taking shape: the sea increasingly within reach. A dream for many people from Brianza. In fact, since December 2023, the first ones have been put into service 8.5 kilometers of the new railway line of the Terzo Valico dei Giovi/Nodo di Genova, between Rivalta Scrivia and Tortona. This segment represents the last northern section of the new HS/HC line. The project is managed by the Webuild Group for the Italian Railway Network, with Italferr responsible for the supervision and direction of the works, under the guidance of Government Commissioner Calogero Mauceri.
Lombardy-Liguria railway tunnel: the new high-speed connection
The new line will allow a significant increase in freight traffic towards Milan and Turincontributing to reduction of CO2 emissions thanks to the greater use of the railway. The integration with the Alessandria-Piacenza route will allow freight trains to access the Rivalta airport, improving the development of the interport, a key logistics point for the area. Since January, the route has also been used by regional trains, serving passengers between Arquata Scrivia, Novi Ligure, Pozzolo, Tortona and Milan. So far, tunneling has reached around 77% of the planned total, with 68 out of 88 kilometers completed.
The new infrastructure includes three natural tunnels, including the longest is the Valico tunnel, 27 kilometers long. The works proceed with different excavation techniques, both traditional (explosives and demolition hammers) and mechanized. The new line will allow trains to travel at a maximum speed of 250 kilometers per hour, allowing the distance between Milan and Genoa to be covered in less than an hour.
How rail transport in Northern Italy is changing
This new connection will revolutionize rail transport in Northern Italy, with strategic implications also at a European level. The Genoa port system will be the first to benefit from the new line, which will also improve the Rhine-Alpine Corridor of the TEN-T trans-European transport network. This infrastructure will offer a preferential route for goods, improving transport efficiency to the port of Rotterdam and reducing environmental impact.
With the activation of the first kilometers of the railway tunnel, the project of a fast and efficient connection between Lombardy and Liguria is getting ever closer to reality, promising to transform rail transport and logistics in the region and beyond.
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