The project is part of the railway doubling project of the Messina-Catania high-capacity railway line in Sicily. 

The design-and-build contract for Fiumefreddo-Taormina/Letojanni Functional Lot  concerns work along 15 kilometres of the railway between Messina and Catania, from Fiumefreddo to Taormina/Letojanni. It includes an interconnection at Taormina/Letojanni, the dismantling of installations along the existing line between Fiumefreddo and the link with the historic line. The latest contract will also involve the construction of an underground station at Taormina, an artificial tunnel at Fiumefreddo, three natural tunnels at Calatabiano, Letojanni and Taormina, and two viaducts at Fogliarino torrent and Alcantara viaduct.

The project is part of the Messina-Catania-Palermo railway axis, which in turn belongs to the Scandinavia-Mediterranean corridor of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) sustainable mobility initiative. Once completed, travel between Messina and Catania will be approximately 30 minutes faster, facilitating a service similar to a metro line between Catania and Taormina/Letojanni.