Terzo Valico dei Giovi: excavation of Novi Ligure interconnection tunnels completed

NOVI LIGURE, April 27, 2026 – Workers have completed the tunnels of the Novi Ligure railway interconnection with the breakthrough of the final diaphragm, the junction that connects the new high-capacity Genoa–Milan line to the historic Genoa–Turin railway line.

This junction is a key element in the Terzo Valico dei Giovi project, delivered by the General Contractor led by Webuild on behalf of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, with the support of the engineering company FS Engineering—both part of the FS Italiane Group—under the authority of the Government’s Extraordinary Commissioner, Calogero Mauceri. The project is among those funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR in Italy). It is designed to overcome the infrastructural limitations of the historic Giovi line between the Port of Genoa and Northwestern Italy, improving the efficiency and capacity of rail links between the regions of Liguria and Piedmont.

The infrastructure starts from the Serravalle Tunnel, through two new single-track natural tunnels for a total length of 1,700 metres: 723 metres for the odd-numbered track tunnel and 987 metres for the even-numbered track tunnel. The two tunnels branch out until they reach the historic line near Novi Ligure, enabling passenger and freight trains to enter and exit in the direction of Turin without interfering with urban road networks or existing rail traffic.

The construction site covered an area of nearly seven hectares—equivalent to 10 soccer pitches—and included the excavation of two large underground interconnection caverns, as well as sections of a cut-and-cover tunnel up to the historic line.

Works were carried out under challenging conditions: the tunnels run at shallow depth just a few metres away from the Genoa–Turin railway, which remained fully operational with minimal interference to rail traffic. Excavation progressed simultaneously on four fronts, supported by an advanced monitoring system that measured in real time any potential interference with existing infrastructure, in close coordination with relevant authorities and Rete Ferroviaria Italiana.

With the completion of the excavation of the Novi Ligure tunnels, the Terzo Valico dei Giovi project reaches another significant milestone, bringing closer the goal of faster and more efficient connections to Ligurian ports and strengthening rail links between major logistics hubs and the productive district of Northwestern Italy.