The work and the technique: The Simplon Railway Line, Italy and Switzerland

The Simplon Tunnel is the most important part of the Simplon Railway Line; Completed in 1905, it was inaugurated a year later with steam traction immediately becoming a year later a fundamental element in the Italian-European relations. The continuous increase of passenger and freight traffic quickly required an upgrading of the infrastructure. From 1911, the Umberto Girola company, later part of the Webuild Group, was commissioned to carry out various projects to rebuild and upgrade the line, with constantly renewed trust from Ferrovie dello Stato. The first works focused on various service buildings near the stations closest to Milan of the railway line. While, during the first years of the 20s of the last century, Girola was involved in some works to strengthen the railway line, a consequence of excavating the second tunnel of the Simplon Tunnel: the enlargement of Preglia and Varzo stations, the doubling works along 20 km of the line from Domodossola to Iselle, and building the artificial avalanche-protection tunnel of Gabbio Mollo.

After WWII, the company was commissioned to rebuild the sections damaged by the war, besides the adjustments now needed due to the line's electrification. Other events required emergency interventions by Girola, like when 1 million m3 of landslide material hit the line at San Giovanni in 1951 and had to be removed.

To this day, the Simplon line represents one of the most important railway line junctions between Milan, France, Switzerland and southern Germany. It is used every day, among others, by the Cisalpino high-speed trains.