The Terzo Valico project, which will be the starting point for the Rhine-Alpine rail axis in Genoa, Italy, still does not seem to have a planned commissioning date. The initial deadline was set for June 2026, but significant interruptions of the work are pushing the long-awaited opening of this infrastructure further in time.
The main issue is the presence of firedamp in the mountains which are being dug, which forced workers to stop activities in various lots. Said activities will only be allowed to restart only in April with a new technology, as the Italian Deputy Minister for Transport Edoardo Rixi pointed out.
New digging technique
The section where firedamp was found is thought to be 600 metres long, but there is no certain answer. Thus, if the section is found to be longer, the timeline would be further extended. The new digging method proposed entails controlled explosions and data measurements every 50 metres. Once this starts in April, it will take four or five months to delineate a new timeline for the opening of the Terzo Valico, Rixi specified.
‘Money is not an issue’
Postponing the inauguration of the Terzo Valico might mean that Italy will miss out on European funds coming from the Recovery and Resilience Facility, as the four billion euros allocated are conditional on the 2026 deadline. However, Rixi tried to calm the waters by saying that ‘only’ 200 million would be lost for the still-unrealised projects, which the government can cover.
What about the rest of the infrastructure?
Despite its objective importance for the Italian railway infrastructure, the opening of the Terzo Valico will not solve all the problems along the country’s section of the Rhine-Alpine axis. The new line will run from Genoa to Tortona but, to reach Milan and then the rest of Europe, many other projects need to be completed.
The Tortona-Milan line, for example, needs to quadrupled, just like the Monza-Chiasso section leading into Switzerland. However, the Italian government does not seem to be prioritising these initiatives. The former might be ready in the 2030s, while the latter does not even have a clear schedule. In other words, the Terzo Valico by itself cannot bring all the expected improvements by itself until the rest of the infrastructure is not adapted as well.
