The development of the high-speed rail line between Salerno and Reggio Calabria has encountered significant hurdles, prompting a vocal response from regional leaders in Calabria.

Spearheaded by Franz Caruso, the Mayor of Cosenza, a coalition of mayors gathered at a press conference in Rome to voice their concerns over funding issues and proposed changes to the project’s route.

The project, originally slated to extend through southern Italy, is the subject of regional discord due to discrepancies in its financial and structural planning.

Mayors from significant towns such as Castrovillari, San Marco Argentano, Acri, Tarsia, and Cassano all’Ionio, backed by respected transport professors Demetrio Festa and Luigi Martirano, have publicly criticized the disruption.

According to Caruso, 'The high-speed line currently halts at Praja and practically at Lagonegro,' following the malfunction induced by recent adverse weather conditions, which further underlines the necessity for more reliable infrastructure.

The Salerno-Reggio Calabria line, a vital artery in the regional transport ecosystem, has been plagued by strategic pauses and restarts, attributed mainly to its complex financing, involving both national funds and the Italian Complementary Fund (PNC).

A critical contention point was the revised project plan, which was supposed to span as far as Tarsia, encountering geological and logistical obstacles such as an aquifer.

The Italian railway infrastructure agency, RFI, has expressed commitment to the project’s completion 'according to scheduled plans and allocated resources,' but confirmed the unfeasibility of the Praja-Tarsia segment due to developmental investigations.

In contrast, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT), led by Matteo Salvini, has assured concerned parties that alternate routes, despite higher costs and lengthier construction timelines, will be necessary.

MIT's position is clear: 'There are no problems affecting the Salerno-Reggio high-speed line.' However, alternative routes such as the Praja-Paola stretch are not agreeable to the committee, who argue that they would 'irreversibly impact the coastline’s visual landscape.'

Addressing fiscal concerns, Salvini’s office detailed the project's financial landscape: 'Lot 1A from Battipaglia to Romagnano costs €2.9 billion, fully underwritten, with ongoing construction.

Meanwhile, lots 1B and 1C, stretching from Romagnano to Praia, are valued at €8 billion, with €7 billion financed via PNC.

As the approval process proceeds, remaining funds necessary to expedite construction will be sourced.'

The complexity of Italy’s transport infrastructure projects, evident in the Salerno-Reggio rail endeavor, highlights ongoing challenges within regional development discourse as competing interests and logistical barriers continue to draw in stakeholders from across the political and engineering spectrum.

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