Potenza - Foggia Railway Line Apulia and Basilicata Regions

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Pre-Feasibility and Environmental Impact Studies regarding Potenza-Foggia railway line. Electrification works, route upgrade, level crossing removals, track reinforcement and tunnel adjustments

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Institutional Development Contract (Contratto Istituzionale di Sviluppo - CIS) involves several projects aimed at improving the infrastructural services along the entire Italian territory. The Potenza-Foggia railway line finds itself in this context; in particular, it belongs to the upgrade of Naples-Bari-Lecce-Taranto railway line, whose agreement was signed in 2012 by the competent Ministries and Regions as well as by the delegates of FSI (Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane - Italian State Railways) and RFI (Rete Ferroviaria Italiana - Italian Railway Network). This upgrade focuses on improving the existing network in the area, developing a higher quality standard and moving on from the current single-track line and diesel trains.

VDP elaborated support activities for Italferr (a FSI company) concerning the preparation of different studies. Specifically, VDP drafted the Environmental Pre-Feasibility Study, based on the preliminary project of the upgrade, which was submitted to the competent authorities on 13.12.2013. This led the authorities to make indications and modifications which resulted in an updated plan, represented by the Final Project with a total length of 112 km.

The intervention is made up of four contracts, covering the route concerned by the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) and including various types of works:

  • Contract 01, regarding the electrification of the existing line between Cervaro and Potenza Centrale Stations, comprising of related works among which the lowering of the railway level in selected tunnels and the implementation of the Rocchetta variant;
  • Contract 02, involving two route alterations as well as the replacement works for the level crossing removals;
  • Contract 04, including the additional works necessary to comply with the authorities’ prescriptions, comprising of the works for the replacement of the level crossings;
  • Contract 05, concerning the installation of the technological equipment and machinery necessary for the project development.

In order to obtain the final approval of the project, VDP prepared (in 2014-2015) the following studies:

  • Environmental Impact Study;
  • Landscape Study;
  • Environmental Implication Assessment;
  • Construction Site Environmental Plan;
  • Environmental Monitoring Plan;
  • Landscape Inclusion Design with vegetation landscaping solutions.

PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS

This project regarded several themes and works such as the census of fauna and flora species included in the Environmental Implication Assessment and the Acoustic Study carried out to determine the acoustic climate in the area surrounding the infrastructure, which allowed the identification of over 2000 receptors.

Another important aspect is the one related to the Landscape Inclusion Design of the numerous new railway overpasses that replaced the level crossings. Therefore, their inclusion in the area was carefully planned and designed in the document defining the suitable vegetation landscaping solutions.
The management of earth and rocks resulting from the excavation activities was addressed and defined in the Construction Site Environmental Plan.

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