Val Pusteria, renewed railway inaugurated

Next step: the Val di Riga variant

With the inaugural journey on 27 January from Brunico to Fortezza, the Val Pusteria railway in Trentino-Alto Adige reopened after months of work for its complete renewal, one of the most strategic lines for Alpine mobility.

A year and a half of works and complex construction sites made it possible to implement the extraordinary maintenance and modernisation project, born from an important collaboration between the Province, RFI and the Ministry of Infrastructure, resulting in a more modern, safe and accessible line. The project has reduced travel times, improved integration with the national railway system and prepared the infrastructure for the future connection with the planned Val di Riga variant.

“With the extensive works on the Val Pusteria railway line,” said Daniel Alfreider, Provincial Councillor for Mobility and Infrastructure of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, speaking to the media, “the reliability of the infrastructure has been significantly increased and, at the same time, usability for passengers has improved thanks to the numerous station refurbishments. This is an excellent result, as the railway represents the most important alternative to the car.”

GCF S.p.A., lead company of the consortium with De Aloe Costruzioni and Progress Rail, contributed to the project, considered fundamental for daily commuting and also in view of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
“Following a preliminary phase of dismantling and remediation of the existing infrastructure to clear the area for civil works,” explains Eng. Paolo Lopez, Head of Railway Systems Engineering at GCF, “during the traffic interruption period, the track was reconstructed in its new alignment, slightly shifted compared to the previous one to accommodate the future second track, and the new Overhead Contact Line was installed.”

Overall, between Rio di Pusteria and Brunico, 27 kilometres of contact line were renewed, and the electric traction line was upgraded over 20 km up to San Candido, including approximately 500 new poles, cabling and cantilevers.
Between Fortezza and San Candido stations, preparatory works were also carried out for the future ERTMS – European Rail Traffic Management System.

Numerous civil engineering works planned by RFI were carried out to secure slopes in Fortezza, Perca, Valdaora and other sections, including stabilisation works, rockfall protection nets, hydraulic arrangements, maintenance of bridges and tunnels (such as Col dei Bovi at Aica), and deep cleaning of tracks and embankments to ensure greater safety and improved overall appearance.

Equally substantial were the works to redevelop the 13 stations (Rio di Pusteria, Vandoies, Casteldarne, San Lorenzo, Brunico, Brunico Nord, Perca, Valdaora, Monguelfo, Villabassa, Dobbiaco, San Candido, Versciaco), including the conversion of 1,200 light points to LED, renewal of platforms, redevelopment of public areas, premises and parking areas, and installation of tactile paths for visually impaired users.

Now, as trains resume running between Fortezza and Brunico, work continues on the next key milestone: the Val di Riga Variant. This project will directly connect the Bressanone-Fortezza line with the Val Pusteria railway through a new railway section which, with 3.8 km of new track, a 190-metre bridge and 800 metres of tunnel, will reach the new Naz-Sciaves station from the Varna junction.

The ultimate objective of the project is to reduce travel time between Brunico and Bressanone by as much as 15 minutes, definitively completing the railway transformation of Val Pusteria.

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