Italy is pinning its hopes on a transformative high-speed rail project to counter decades of economic stagnation and demographic decline in its southern regions, according to Reuters.
The 145-kilometre Naples-Bari line, funded partly by EU post-pandemic recovery funds, aims to slash travel times between the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian coasts from four hours to two, while reconnecting isolated communities to Italy’s economic heartlands.
Costing €6 billion, with €1.5 billion sourced from the EU’s COVID-19 recovery fund, the project forms the centrepiece of state rail operator Ferrovie dello Stato’s (FS) decade-long €60 billion plan to modernise Italy’s rail network. The upgraded two-track line will replace a sluggish single-track route, revamp existing stations, and introduce a new station in the remote Irpinia region inland from Naples.
Alessio Forestieri of construction firm Pizzarotti, part of the building consortium, hailed it as “revolutionary,” linking Italy’s two major ports and seas while fostering “a jobs market where none existed.”
By 2080, the Mezzogiorno’s population share could plummet to 25.8% from 33.8% today without intervention. Giuseppe Cirillo, FS’s high-speed project lead, argues the rail link offers a lifeline, stating that people can stay in their villages and commute to cities for work, rather than abandon their homes.
The construction phase alone is projected to generate €4 billion in business activity and 62,000 jobs, offering a critical boost to some regions. Yet the project also highlights Italy’s fraught relationship with EU funds. As the largest recipient of the bloc’s recovery package, Rome has faced criticism for missed deadlines and budget revisions.
