Electrification of the Belluno “loops”, Italy
Electrification of the Veneto Basin: the Belluno “loops”, Italy
A new green railway loop, promoted by RFI in view of the Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and delivered by GCF – lead company of the consortium comprising Ineo Scle Ferroviarie Snc and Sirti S.p.A. – with the complete electrification of both the “lower loop” and the “upper loop” of the Belluno railway lines.
A multi-site project focused on sustainability which, in line with the goal of maximizing the environmental benefits of rail transport while minimizing emissions, has delivered along the lower loop of the Belluno lines 6 stations and more than 92 kilometres of fully electrified railway network and, with works ongoing along the upper loop, the electrification of a further 8 stations and 86 kilometres of railway.
Project data
The electrification of the loop, with an overall length of approximately 180 kilometres, required the construction of 4,800 foundations for pole installation and around one hundred portals with MEC-type beams, the installation of 4,000 Omnia-type cantilevers and approximately 800 tubular steel cantilevers.
Around forty “historic” tunnels, often equipped with rigid catenary systems, were involved, along with more than one hundred level crossings and viaducts crossed during the tensioning operations of the overhead contact line (144 km with a 440 mm² section and 34 km with a 320 mm² section), for a total of 300 km of messenger wire and 360 km of contact wire. Three traction substations and five electrical substations were built to serve the loop.
The project marked the end of an era – that of diesel railcars – and enables Belluno and the Dolomites to benefit from a “smart” rail connection, without break of load, both towards Venice via Conegliano and towards Padua via Montebelluna.
