ABSTRACT
This paper deals with the preliminary design of the underground railway from Catania main station (Catania Centrale) to Catania Acquicella station, as part of the modernization of the Messina-Catania-Palermo line in Sicily (Italy). The new project involves the upgrading of the existing link through the construction of a new double-track EPB-TBM bore tunnel 1.3 km long with a diameter of 10 m. This will restore to the city the original urban layout, deeply modified by the existing old surface line built at the end of the 18th century. The feasibility studies conducted over the last few years have revealed interference with archaeological finds and the project has had to be adjusted due to the presence of the buried remains. Therefore, specific historical studies and geo-archeological surveys were carried out to interpret the stratigraphic data and to reconstruct the soil layers possibly containing archeological findings.
