The two TBMs (Tunnel Boring Machines) Iris and Marika have knocked down the diaphragms of the two tunnels and reached the hall of the new AV station in Florence today. The "break-in" of the two machines, engaged in the excavation of the Passante AV, marks one of the fundamental milestones of one of the strategic infrastructural interventions for the strengthening and improvement of the mobility of the national railway system, for a total investment of 2.7 billion euros.
The event, held at the construction site of the Florence AV station, was attended by the Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini; the President of the Tuscany Region, Eugenio Giani; the Mayor of Florence, Sara Funaro; the Prefect of Florence, Francesca Ferrandino; the CEO and General Director of the Italian Railway Network, Aldo Isi; the CEO and General Director of FS Engineering, Dario Lo Bosco and the CEO and General Director of Infrarail, Paola Firmi.
The two TBMs, respectively engaged in excavating the tube of the even track and that of the odd track, covered approximately 3 kilometres, each from the Campo di Marte construction site. With the entry of both into the station hall, the machines will be able to be moved inside, in successive phases, only after the completion of the foundation slab, the construction of which is underway for differentiated areas. The restart of excavation towards the north, for the remaining 2 kilometers of each tunnel, is expected between the end of 2026 and the beginning of 2027.
In the meantime, at the construction site of the HS station, built with the "top-down" excavation method (from top to bottom), the excavation of the large chamber continues to a depth of -25 meters from ground level.
The urban section of the new Passante AV extends for approximately 8.35 kilometres, of which 7 are underground, with two parallel tunnels at an average depth of approximately 20 meters and two emerging terminal sections: one to the north, between the stations of Firenze Castello and Firenze Rifredi, and one to the south, near Campo di Marte.
About halfway along the route, in the Belfiore-Macelli area, the new HS station will be built: a project designed by Foster & Partners and Ove Arup & Partners, approximately 450 meters long and 50 meters wide, for an extension of approximately 45 thousand square metres, located up to 25 meters below street level. The roof, made of steel and glass, will rise approximately 18 meters and will integrate photovoltaic panels, as well as guaranteeing environmental and acoustic control, natural lighting and air exchange. This is an entirely new type of station for Italy: underground, but naturally lit even on the lower levels thanks to the vertical configuration of the work.
The work will bring an improvement in the regularity of circulation in the Florentine hub, thanks to the separation of long-distance flows from regional and freight ones, it will free up capacity on the Florence Rifredi-Florence Campo di Marte route and in Florence Santa Maria Novella, it will allow the establishment of new services with stops in the new HS station and will reduce travel times for the HS connections which currently stop in Santa Maria Novella. The Passante is also part of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridor of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), confirming the centrality of Florence along one of the strategic routes for European mobility.
The value of the current contract, entrusted to the Florentia Consortium and relating to both the station and the Passante tunnels, is approximately 1.1 billion euros. Based on the current programming, completion of the works is expected by the end of 2029, with activation during 2030.
The Passante AV in Florence is part of the Cantieri Parlanti project promoted by the FS Group, together with the MIT, to transparently describe the development of strategic infrastructures through public initiatives, info points and dedicated information tools.
