Italy builds Battipaglia–Romagnano high-speed rail lot for €2.9bn

Lot 1A of the new Salerno–Reggio Calabria high-speed line runs about 35 km from Battipaglia via Eboli, Campagna, Contursi Terme and Sicignano degli Alburni to Romagnano (linking to the existing Potenza–Metaponto line), roughly 50% in tunnel, at a cost of about EUR 2.9 billion (mostly PNRR-funded). Wikipedia lists the section's opening for end of August 2026, matching Italy's official PNRR target for this first lot, which Italian local media still described as "on schedule" as of April 2026. However, RFI's own 10 April 2026 press release still reported four tunnel boring machines actively excavating at that point and gave no concrete completion or commissioning date; the full Salerno–Reggio Calabria line (445 km, about EUR 22.8 billion) is not expected to be fully operational until around 2030. Update (27.09.2026): FS Italiane's project page for the Salerno–Reggio Calabria line now gives 2028 as the commissioning date for Lot 1A Battipaglia–Romagnano; the date 31.12.2028 is a placeholder because only the year is known. Announced or recorded on 31.08.2026 (source: fsitaliane.it, retrieved 27.09.2026).