INFRASTRUCTURE manager Italian Rail Network (RFI) has called tenders for the construction of a new rail link to Marco Polo Airport in Venice.
A budget of €467m has been set for building the 8km route, funded by the Italian government under its National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).
The double-track branch will leave the Mestre - Trieste route and run alongside the motorway spur road serving the airport.
The line will then enter a 3.4km tunnel to reach a new station beneath the airport terminal. Trains will rejoin the surface on a single track where both regional and high-speed services will be stabled and then reverse, reducing occupation of the station platforms and increasing capacity.
RFI says the project is intended to encourage modal shift on journeys to and from the airport, and forms part of the wider FS Group strategy to improve rail connections to airports, helping with the recovery of the Italian tourist industry.
Construction will be completed in time for the start of 2026 Winter Olympics being hosted by Milan and Cortina, RFI says.
To supervise the project, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility has appointed RFI investment director, Mr Vincenzo Macello, as extraordinary commissioner.
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