PRESS NOTE

MILAN, 25 March, 2019 – “Today in Sicily we celebrate not only the launch of a strategic project but above all a new start for Sicily, which with the new section of the Palermo – Catania railway line celebrates an opportunity not to be missed to restore boost to the development of infrastructures on the island, relaunching employment on a territory that has seen high levels of unemployment and a continuous shift of labor towards other areas of the country. Only with this project we will employ a total of around 1,000 people, relaunching employment in the territory for 1,000 families, especially in Sicily “- said Pietro Salini, Chief Executive Officer of Salini Impregilo, during the start-up ceremony of the 186 million euro project for the design and execution of the doubling of a 38 km section on the Bicocca-Catenanuova railway line, on the Palermo-Catania line. The project is part of the initiative promoted by the European Union to implement the so-called TEN-T European Corridor system, which will connect and improve the continent’s railway lines.

“This is an important project – continues Salini – both for the people who will work there and for all those who can benefit from a fundamental fast connection to unite the two parts of the island. The effects that the project will have from today, and then with its implementation, show how important it is for Italy to re-launch the entire infrastructure sector and create jobs with it. Our company has been present in Sicily for almost 100 years, but has been missing for 15 years: it means that there have been no opportunities to build important infrastructural systems for the development of the region in the last 15 years “.

Today the number of employees of companies in crisis in the sector in Italy totals 66,000 employees, that is, considering the households, over 260,000 people in economic difficulty.

From 2008 to 2017, 3.4 million jobs were lost in construction in Europe, of which 539,000 in Italy. Work-related bleeding has affected the South for 40% of this half-million jobs lost. In this scenario, Sicily was the most affected region in Italy, losing 50% of Southern Italian jobs.

Danilo Toninelli, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Maurizio Gentile, CEO of the Italian Railway Network, Marco Falcone, Regional Councilor for Infrastructure and Mobility for the Region of Sicily were also present at the inauguration ceremony in Catenanuova (EN). , and the mayor of Catenanuova, Giancarlo Scravaglieri.

The contract for the railway project was awarded by the Italian Railway Network to the Temporary Grouping of Companies (RTI) consisting of Salini Impregilo, Astaldi, SIFEL and CLF. The first benefits brought by the project will begin to be seen in 2020, with the activation of a first speeded-up track. The new track will allow trains to travel at a maximum speed of 200 km / h. The overall term of the works relating to the contract is scheduled in 2022. By the end of 2025, however, once the work is completed on the entire line, it will be possible to move from Catania to Palermo in less than two hours.

The works will concern the new railway headquarters, signaling and telecommunication systems, electrical substations for the supply of trains, the redevelopment of the Bicocca station and the construction of the new station in Motta Sant’Anastasia.

Salini Impregilo has a long experience in the field of railway infrastructures in Italy and in the world, also for complex systems with high speed and high capacity. In particular, it built the high-speed railway lines between Milan and Turin and between Bologna and Florence, and is currently involved in the construction of the new high-speed Genoa-Milan “Terzo Valico dei Giovi” high-speed line. It has also participated in the realization of strategic projects in the world such as the Brenner Tunnel – which, once completed will represent the longest underground railway link in the world – and the Forrestfield-Airport Link, in Perth, Australia, to name the last two still in progress.

Source: https://www.salini-impregilo.com/it/sala-stampa/news-eventi/nuova-occupazione-in-sicilia-con-la-linea-ferroviaria-palermo-catania-tra-bicocca-e- catenanuova.html