Sicily Road and Rail Bridge Receives Final Approval
The Italian authorities have given final approval to the design of the road and rail bridge linking the mainland with Sicily, clearing the way for construction to begin.
New bridge to Sicily
The Interministerial Committee for Economic Planning and Sustainable Development (CIPESS) has approved the final design of the bridge that will connect mainland Italy with Sicily across the Messina Strait.
An addendum valued at €10.6bn has been signed between Eurolink, the general contractor, and Stretto di Messina, the concessionaire in charge of funding, constructing, and operating the new bridge.
The new bridge to Sicily has been designed by the Danish company Cowi, while construction will involve Italian firms Webuild, Condotte, and Itinera, together with Spain’s Sacyr and Japan’s Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI), all working under Eurolink.
The Messina Strait separates the Italian mainland from Sicily. ©AndyBTravels
Design
The bridge across the Messina Strait linking mainland Italy with Sicily will have a deck 3.6 kilometres (2.2 miles) long.
Its central suspended span will measure 3.3 kilometres, making it the longest suspension bridge in the world.
The deck will be 60 metres (197 feet) wide, providing space for six road lanes, two service lanes, and two railway tracks.
Up to 200 trains a day will be able to use the new rail bridge to Sicily.
The bridge is engineered to support two 750-metre-long freight trains on each track, or two passenger trains travelling in opposite directions at the same time.
It will also feature ETCS Level 2 signalling and a derailment detection system.
The structure is designed to endure earthquakes of up to 7.1 on the Richter scale and storm winds reaching 216 kilometres per hour (134 mph).
Preliminary work on the project is scheduled to begin this year, with the road and rail connections on Sicily and the Italian mainland planned to start in May 2026, and construction of the bridge itself set to commence in March 2027.
If the timeline is followed, the new road and rail bridge to Sicily is expected to be completed in 2032.
Current situation
Trains between the Italian mainland and Sicily are currently loaded onto a train ferry that carries the coaches between Villa San Giovanni on the mainland and Messina in Sicily.
Travelling by train to Sicily is one of Europe’s most captivating rail journeys.
The train ferry offers a unique experience, with excellent views, as passengers can leave their coaches and walk out onto the ship’s deck during the crossing.
Although the new road and rail bridge will make train journeys to Sicily faster and smoother and improve connectivity, it will mark the end of the train ferry.
If you have never experienced this unique rail journey, there are still a few years left to do so.
The train ferry between Villa San Giovanni and Messina. ©AndyBTravels
Conclusion
The final design of the new road and rail bridge connecting mainland Italy with Sicily has been approved, with preliminary work on the project due to start soon.
When the bridge opens in 2032, it will replace the current train ferry service between Villa San Giovanni and Messina.
