Local environmental engineering

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The complexity of the processes followed and managed within a multi-structural company such as Italferr is often determined by the need to adopt a homogeneous design approach in a diversified context such as that of the railway sector, based on an Italian regulatory scenario that is difficult to interpret from an environmental point of view and on complex authorisation processes.

The disciplines that distinguish Environmental and Land Engineering fit into this context, with particular reference to environmental issues and with a view to designing and planning while safeguarding the territory and ensuring compliance with the burdens and timeframes associated with the construction of the infrastructure.

In recent years, issues such as land regeneration and redevelopment have taken center stage in daily life and on the technical tables of the most important institutions. In this regard, the Reclamations and Environmental Due Diligence division envisaged by Italferr for the management of totally or partially decommissioned railway assets and yards and for the resolution of environmental proceedings interfering with railway works, in accordance with the regulations in force, in order to comply with burdens and timeframes related to their realisation.

All of this translates into in-field support for the verification of the presence of potentially critical environmental issues, assistance to the client in interactions with the authorities in charge of the management of proceedings, up to the processing of a qualitative-quantitative analysis for the resolution of such proceedings.

At a time when climate change is one of the main causes of hydrogeological instability phenomena such as landslides, floods and coastal erosion, Italferr has dedicated a specific division aimed at designing interventions for protecting the railway infrastructure by ensuring the construction of a resilient national network capable of adapting to future climate change.

Earthquake protection and mitigation actions are developed by placing innovative methodologies (e.g., SAR interferometry) side by side with standard methodologies (classical field surveys) and make use of the "know-how" provided by experts in the field via close collaborations with leading Italian universities.

Over the past decade, the topic of excavated earth and rocks and in particular the possibility of managing these materials as by-products and not as waste, has been the subject of numerous regulatory interventions, culminating in 2017 with the publication of a special regulation implemented via Presidential Decree 120/2017. It is with this in mind that the Land Management and Environmental Design for Construction Sites division addresses the management of excavated soil and rocks in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner, actively participating in the definition and continuous updating of design standards, technical specifications and procedures

In an increasingly digital world, the division has collaborated in the creation of applications such as SUIT (Sportello Unico di Ingegneria delle Terre - Single Land Engineering Desk), a portal being developed to facilitate the process of identifying potential sites for the transfer of the large volumes of soil produced during the construction phase of the work, and Terre Circolari, as part of the Open Italy program, a platform to identify potential production cycles and recovery plants for the benefit of the most sustainable alternative in terms of quantifying the CO2 emitted.

The division's experience and activities are also distinguished through its numerous partnerships with institutional bodies/organisations such as:

Technical tables within Confindustria
Participation in the Scientific Committee of RemTech Expo Inertia
Support of IRSA-CNR and ISP-CNR in the development of site-specific conditioning and eco-toxicological studies on soils from mechanised excavation with additives using TBM and EPB technology
Experimental studies with innovative startups and leading Italian universities
Participation in technical tables on Sustainable Construction Site promoted by AIS - Sustainable Infrastructure Association
Discussion tables with territorially competent Bodies (ISPRA, ISS, ARPA, APPA, etc.), as part of the drafting and implementation of Land Use Plans.

Italy is among the European countries in the Mediterranean area that use groundwater, springs and wells the most. This is the most important source of fresh water for drinking in Italy (84.8% of the total collected) but at the same time more than 1/3 of this collected resource is lost due to technical problems in the water system.  

Therefore, with a view to safeguarding the water resource, the Water Management project is implemented through which it is possible to solve the critical issues related to the water cycle (adductions, drainages, etc.) present on various railway assets located throughout the country in terms of administration, authorisation and accounting. 