Every year, around 11 million people cross the Strait of Messina between the southernmost region of mainland Italy and Sicily. Travel via a robust ferry system that also transports vehicles. There is also a train to ferry option. A picturesque, slow-moving route that transports rail cars back and forth across the Channel on specially designed ferries.
But the recent approval of a 13.5 billion euro ($15.7 billion) plan to build a bridge between Sicily and Italy’s tipping region of Calabria could dramatically change the way people travel across the nearly two-mile strait, and potentially transform both regions in the process. Whether that’s a good thing depends on who you ask.
What is the bridge project connecting Sicily and mainland Italy?
The Strait of Messina Bridge is expected to be completed between 2032 and 2033 and will be the world’s longest single-span suspension bridge. As reported by Reuters, supporters of the project, including Italy’s Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, argue that the bridge will boost economic development, increase tourism to both regions and lower prices in Sicily.
Critics cite high economic and environmental costs and risks of corruption and mafia involvement, according to various reports in English and Italian, including on CNN, the Associated Press and newspapers. new york times. Next, there is the possibility of natural disasters. This area is part of an active seismic zone that is at risk of earthquakes.
At a press conference announcing the project on August 6, Salvini called the bridge a “development accelerator” for southern Italy, claiming it would reduce the time needed to cross the Channel from about 30 minutes to about 15 minutes, eliminating bottlenecks and delays that sometimes occur when disembarking ships. Protests erupted soon after the news, with thousands of people marching through Messina in opposition to the bridge.
If the bridge were to become a reality, the 3.3-mile span would be supported by two 1,309-foot towers (one in Sicily and one in Calabria), which would be taller than the Eiffel Tower, according to the project’s lead company, Webbuild. The plan includes two roads with three lanes each and two central rail lines, which could eliminate the need for ferries and provide new environmental benefits, Salvini said. “Rather than having thousands of ferries going back and forth polluting the sea, if instead we had non-polluting trains, there would be less water pollution,” he said. official gazette of sicily In 2023.
Following the Aug. 6 announcement, Italian environmental nonprofit Legambiente issued a statement calling Salvini’s declaration political propaganda and pointing out that the Corte dei Conti, Italy’s legislative body tasked with controlling public spending, had not yet approved the project.
As the BBC pointed out, the plan still needs approval from various environmental agencies at both national and EU level. Environmental groups have already lodged a complaint with the European Union, citing serious risks to the local environment, the paper said. guardian.
Angelo Bonelli, a member of Italy’s lower house of parliament and spokesperson for the climate-neutral party Green Europe, is one of the project’s strongest critics. In an Aug. 6 post on X, Bonelli criticized the project’s high cost and environmental impact, calling it a “huge waste of public funds.”
The bridge could replace train and ferry routes to Sicily in southern Italy
The idea of connecting Sicily and mainland Italy with a bridge is not new. “Throughout history, the dream of linking the two coasts has been a temptation as persistent as the smoke wafting from the crater of Etna,” Rome-based journalist Eric J. Reiman writes in Substack. Dispatch to Italypoints out that Pliny the Elder wrote about plans to build floating bridges for barges in the first century.
Although many others have embraced the idea over the centuries, no one has yet been able to make it a reality, including the late former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
For now, travelers and transport enthusiasts who want to experience a tranquil Channel crossing can book intercity train tickets through Italy’s national railway operator Trenitalia. Trains from mainland Italy depart from Rome, passing through Naples, Salerno and several other towns before boarding a ferry at Villa San Giovanni and crossing the Strait of Messina to eastern Sicily, where they split into separate lines bound for Palermo or Siracusa. Tickets start at 34.90 euros ($40.85) one-way, and total travel time varies from 1 to 8 hours, depending on where you board.
For some passengers, the highlight is the train-to-ferry transfer. Several times a day, Italian intercity trains slowly mount tracks embedded in the ferry’s lower deck as workers in yellow vests and helmets monitor the scene. Once the train is safely boarded, the doors open and passengers can climb onto the ferry’s upper deck and enjoy an espresso or snack at the bar. Some sit on blue plastic chairs or stand on the railings, watching Sicily come into view.
According to Rail Europe, this feat of engineering marks one of only two remaining train-to-ferry routes in Europe. It is the only other route of its kind that connects northern Germany and southern Sweden. The Maritime Archeology Trust says there were once at least 127 rail ferries around the world, and there are now 23. But an article on its website claims that bridges and tunnels have rendered “much of it obsolete”, and that fate could befall this special journey across this Mediterranean strait if the long-discussed bridge is built. But for the time being, travelers still have the chance to enjoy this memorable train and ferry journey.
