Messina strait fixed crossing. Will it include rail?

[fandroid]

There seem to be announcements that the Messina strait fixed crossing has been given the go-ahead. However they are talking about about the "world's longest suspension bridge". Rail and long suspension bridges don't usually mix well. So, is this bad news for rail to Sicily?

 

[rvdborgt]

Rail and long suspension bridges don't usually mix well. So, is this bad news for rail to Sicily?

There will also be a rail line over the bridge, see e.g.:

>>>ANSA/Messina Strait bridge gets definitive green light - English Service - Ansa.it

The government's 13.5-billion-euro project to build a bridge across the Strait of Messina connecting Sicily and the Italian mainland was definitively approved by CIPESS economic planning committee on Wednesday. (ANSA)

www.ansa.it

The government's 13.5-billion-euro project to build a bridge across the Strait of Messina connecting Sicily and the Italian mainland was definitively approved by CIPESS economic planning committee on Wednesday.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini said that what will be the world's longest suspension bridge should be in use in 2032 or 2033 with work on it set to start in the autumn.

 

[JB_B]

There seem to be announcements that the Messina strait fixed crossing has been given the go-ahead. However they are talking about about the "world's longest suspension bridge". Rail and long suspension bridges don't usually mix well. So, is this bad news for rail to Sicily?

The project as announced today includes a rail link. Given the history, politics and geology, I wouldn't assume it will actually be delivered in that form ( if it ever is.)

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

The 25 de Abril Bridge in Lisbon over the Tagus has rail on the lower deck so I guess it is possible on a suspension bridge.

 

[nwales58]

Impreglio had the contract to build it in 2005, subsequently scrapped, so I would not be surprised if their successor WeBuild gets it this time.

Wikipedia has far more of the history and Italian wikipedia has detail of the previous 1969 design competition, also subsequently scrapped.

I wouldn't bet on 3rd time lucky myself.

 

[Iskra]

Impreglio had the contract to build it in 2005, subsequently scrapped, so I would not be surprised if their successor WeBuild gets it this time.

Wikipedia has far more of the history and Italian wikipedia has detail of the previous 1969 design competition, also subsequently scrapped.

I wouldn't bet on 3rd time lucky myself.

I doubt it will ever happen.

There is local opposition. It will cut employment opportunities in an area with a weak economy already.

And if important local organisations with nefarious intentions don’t support it, it will struggle to get anywhere.

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

Impreglio had the contract to build it in 2005, subsequently scrapped, so I would not be surprised if their successor WeBuild gets it this time.

Webuild is part of the winning consortium.

It will be constructed by a consortium led by Italy’s Webuild Group and including Spain’s Sacyr and the Japanese group IHI.

Italian government gives final approval for bridge linking Sicily to mainland

€13.5bn allocated for 10-year project to build longest single-span bridge in the world across the Strait of Messina

www.theguardian.com

And if important local organisations with nefarious intentions don’t support it, it will struggle to get anywhere.

One of the arguments against the bridge is that building it would inevitably benefit the Mafia, because they are deeply embdedded in the Sicilian construction industry.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not long to do the last train ferry, then! (I think it is the last one left?)

 

[Iskra]

One of the arguments against the bridge is that building it would inevitably benefit the Mafia, because they are deeply embdedded in the Sicilian construction industry.

They’re also heavily involved in the shipping side of things in that part of the world, so they probably wouldn’t want to support a project that undermines their revenue from the container ports in the area, which a land connection to Sicily would do.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Aug 2025 ==

Not long to do the last train ferry, then! (I think it is the last one left?)

I suspect you have ample time. It is worth doing though

 

[chris2]

Not long to do the last train ferry, then! (I think it is the last one left?)

One reason why I went earlier this year, absolutely brilliant fun.

 

[Cloud Strife]

I'd be very surprised if it actually happens. Italy constantly announces this and nothing happens, and I'd bet good money on this being nothing more than a few groundworks that go absolutely nowhere. It's not even the Mafia, but the fact that Italy is using some very creative accounting to try and build this bridge by assuming that it's part of defence spending. Then there's the fact that the various criminal families in that part of Italy will have strong reasons not to let the bridge happen, as it keeps the region backwards.

This is nothing but Salvini's cost of taking a backseat to Meloni, and I wouldn't be surprised if the end result is nothing but groundworks so that he can pose there in the next election by claiming that it's 'being built'.

 

[railfan99]

I doubt it will ever happen.

There is local opposition. It will cut employment opportunities in an area with a weak economy already.

I travelled from Milano Centrale to Sicily last year on the Messina train ferry.

Wouldn't a bridge, over time, create local jobs rather than destroy them because more tourists might visit Sicily, and the cost of transport might be reduced?

 

[Iskra]

I travelled from Milano Centrale to Sicily last year on the Messina train ferry.

Wouldn't a bridge, over time, create local jobs rather than destroy them because more tourists might visit Sicily, and the cost of transport might be reduced?

Jobs would be lost on the ferries, at ports and at the freight ports. Sicily is already busy with tourists so I don’t think there would be much to gain. Calabria would possibly lose tourists as there would be less reason to overnight there ahead of travelling to Sicily as a bridge would allow 24/7 transit.

I presume this bridge would have a toll on it too, so I doubt it will beat the 3 euro I paid for the ferry as a foot passenger last time I did it.

 

[Krokodil]

Not long to do the last train ferry, then! (I think it is the last one left?)

Last one in the West, certainly. I think that there are some on the Caspian Sea, and there were some across the Black Sea but I don't know if the latter are still running with the war on, nor if passengers are still carried.

I travelled from Milano Centrale to Sicily last year on the Messina train ferry.

Wouldn't a bridge, over time, create local jobs rather than destroy them because more tourists might visit Sicily, and the cost of transport might be reduced?

Palermo and Syracuse might benefit, Messina would probably lose out.

A more urgent priority should be speeding up the rail lines on either side of the Straits

 

[Iskra]

Last one in the West, certainly. I think that there are some on the Caspian Sea, and there were some across the Black Sea but I don't know if the latter are still running with the war on, nor if passengers are still carried.


Palermo and Syracuse might benefit, Messina would probably lose out.

A more urgent priority should be speeding up the rail lines on either side of the Straits

They are currently building a new High Speed line from Salerno to Reggio.

 

[Krokodil]

They are currently building a new High Speed line from Salerno to Reggio.

And when I was in Sicily a couple of months ago there were earthworks to speed up Messina-Syracuse. They are at least moving in the right direction

 

[NCT]

Going by Openrailwaymap and the RFI website, all three main lines in Sicily are being comprehensively modernised and upgraded to 160-200km/h ruling line speeds with long stretches of bypasses being built.

 

[AdamWW]

Last one in the West, certainly. I think that there are some on the Caspian Sea, and there were some across the Black Sea but I don't know if the latter are still running with the war on, nor if passengers are still carried.

And in China I believe.

 

[D6130]

And when I was in Sicily a couple of months ago there were earthworks to speed up Messina-Syracuse. They are at least moving in the right direction

A lot of those earthworks have been there a long, long time!