Palermo Hub

As part of the works related to the "Palermo Hub" project, concerning the city's electrified double-track connection with Punta Raisi International Civil Airport "Falcone e Borsellino," the new De Gasperi Stop was opened for operation on 30 June 2024 and officially opened on 5 July 2024.

The ceremony was officialised by the President of the Sicily region Renato Schifani, the President of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana Dario Lo Bosco, the Mayor of Palermo Roberto Lagalla, the Regional Councillor for Infrastructure and Mobility Alessandro Aricò and the President of Confindustria Sicilia Gaetano Vecchio.

The works, for a contract value of 12 million Euros, was completed by the RTI – Temporary Association of Companies consisting of Europea 92 S.p.A., Consorzio Stabile Research Società Consortile a r.l. and Europea International S.p.A.

Italferr, the engineering company of the Infrastructure Hub of the FS Group, supervised the Works Supervision, led by the PM Fiorenzo Laquidara and his team of collaborators, in full synergy with the operational structures of the Client and with the RFI Artistic Directorate structure that carried out the study of the finishings, donating to the city of Palermo a technologically advanced but above all safe infrastructure. 

Located near the city's municipal stadium in a heavily urbanized area, it is an underground stop that features two access blocks at street level, a technical building, emergency exit stairs, the Fire Department entrance staircase and large landscaped areas.

In this section, the line runs through a two-bore tunnel: the first tube, located about 8 m below ground level, retraces the route of the old trench, while the second tube, built using a TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine), is at a depth of about 23 m below ground level.

The stop platforms are placed at different heights and are served by fixed escalators and elevators. In fact, passengers move from one platform to the other from street level.

The activation of the new stop concludes the set of three previous interventions and, at this stage, of a multidisciplinary intervention via which all structural civil engineering and technological works such as LFM (Light and Motive Power) systems, mechanical systems, telecommunications systems, tunnel safety systems, as well as the safety garrisons necessary to serve travelers, in addition to a specific intervention for the realization of the MATS system (Safety Grounding), have been implemented.

This is a new infrastructure that will increase the capillarity and intermodality of rail service in the city of Palermo, where work is currently also progressing for the completion of the ring railway along which, in 2025, the Porto and Politeama stops are expected to be inaugurated.