A bridge over the Strait of Messina has been talked about for centuries: What if the solution was a locomotive? In the meantime, let’s take a step back: We’re missing the basics. Yes, because beyond the announcements everything is missing: we know very little about the bridge. But Meloni’s government has committed several billion euros of public funds to make it happen, and Matteo Salvini wants to place the League flag on the most talked-about infrastructure in the history of the Republic. For a work of mammoth proportions – “The world’s largest single-span bridge” – and huge costs, it’s no good to be missing vital information.

It is clear that the problem of connectivity between Sicily and the rest of Italy needs to be solved, travel times are unacceptable for the 2020s: it takes a train two hours to cross the strait; This is the same time as the High Speed ​​train from Rome. Bologna is 400 km away. It is not yet clear what the best solution is, but if one train was enough to get from Sicily to Calabria in a reasonable time, who would need a bridge?

We know what we don’t know on the bridge: this is unacceptable

As far as we know, the bridge over the Strait of Messina will be a magnificent engineering work that will bring numerous benefits to Sicily, the South and Italy. But we know very little in concrete terms. And for citizens this is unacceptable. Currently, it is written in black and white that the 3,600-meter “longest single-span bridge in the world” will cost approximately 12 billion euros after 10 years. But everything is changing very quickly, even costs.

Upon approval of the budget, the government proposed changes regarding “different structuring of the costs borne by the state and the regions.” We don’t know exactly how much. Eight months ago, in April, Def stated that the cost was 14.5 billion. In 2012, there was $8.5 billion to spend. It is clear that costs like to change and increase over time.

Matteo Salvini, the biggest supporter of the bridge, aims to be the person who will deliver the work to Italy. Yes, he provided some data, but always different information. As Pagella Politica pointed out, Salvini stated that the bridge over the Bosphorus will bring 120 thousand jobs to Italy in 2022. He later changed his mind by saying 100 thousand. The latest version is down by more than half compared to the original: 50 thousand. Lack of information makes questionable an infrastructure that cannot be questioned due to its economic, environmental and social importance. So it’s all worth it.

We don’t even know the 2012 project that the WeBuild-led consortium will have to carry out the work, updated by Eurolink. All we know is that it was delivered. The unknowns are huge, the benefits the Bridge will bring are not yet known. In fact, what is missing is an updated cost-benefit analysis to understand what would actually be beneficial to connect Sicily and Calabria with a bridge or something else. And we come to the locomotive.

And if a “special” locomotive was enough

A simple one-time solution may be enough to solve a complex problem. Entry: Currently, it is possible to cross the Strait of Messina in 20-30 minutes of navigation, without counting the entrance, waiting and exit of transportation terminals.

The situation is different in trains. After being dismantled, the convoys go into the ferries and when they reach the other side, they are reassembled and go in different directions, towards Syracuse and Palermo. For example, a train leaving Rome splits into two convoys when it reaches Sicily. In this case, transit times reach two hours for human transport and even four hours for freight trains.

Draghi’s government had invested around 300 million euros between Pnrr, cohesion and state funds to speed up transit times thanks to new ferries with hybrid engines, electric locomotives and new trains. The first test was planned to take place in 2022, but in reality the first tests began in December 2023, as seen in the video below published by Undersecretary of Transport and Salvini’s deputy Edoardo Rixi.

These locomotives are equipped with electric batteries and do not need to be pulled by other diesel-powered locomotives. This reduces maneuvering times to “enter” ferries. The new locomotives, added to the shorter convoys and faster ships used in Frecciarossa, will be able to halve Bosphorus transit times from two hours to one hour, as stated in a Ministry of Transport document published in 2021.

Therefore, with an investment of approximately 300 million euros, transition times will be reduced by half. 36 times more will be needed over at least 10 years to build the bridge. Meanwhile, Sicily needs to connect with the rest of Italy before it can do so: according to RFI data, only 223 of the 1,370 kilometers of railway lines are double-track, i.e. 16%. This rate is 46% nationwide. Little is known about the bridge; It is crucial that citizens have a clear idea of ​​what is at stake. But if a few hundred million is enough to halve the time and improve the existing one: who really needs a bridge over the Strait of Messina?

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