Europe has taken a key step in one of its most ambitious: the construction of the first continuous tunnel that will connect Italy and Austria under the Alps. The future Brenner Base Tunnel (TBB)in the Tyrolean Alps, completed the work under the Alps in September, connecting the two sections of the tunnel.
The TBB will be a 64 kilometer railway tunnelthus becoming the longest underground connection, and will connect Innsbruck, capital of Austrian Tyrol, with the Italian town of Fortezza, through the Brenner Pass. In this way, as detailed by the media will link the Munich-Verona axis and the Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridor.
“The Brenner Base Tunnel is not only an unprecedented project, but a strategic project that responds to the challenges of modern mobility: reduction in travel times, greater railway capacity and less environmental impact compared to road transport”, the same medium has summarized.
Progress in construction work was celebrated with a ceremony attended by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker. “It is a historic day for Italy and Austria, but also for all of Europe, because this tunnel represents a central articulation and one of the fundamental pieces for the future European Standinavian-Mediterranean corridor” Meloni said.
Both leaders highlighted the opening of the TBB exploration tunnel as a historic milestone, a key step in this megaproject. estimated at 10.5 billion euros and whose completion is scheduled for 2032. Once operational, the tunnel will mean “a revolution” for transport between Italy and Austria, according to Meloni. The Italian Prime Minister assured that she will reduce the travel time for passenger trains from 80 to 25 minutes and from 105 to 30 minutes for freight trains.
The new tunnel —classified by the European Commission as a priority 1 project within the framework of the European Transport Networks— crosses the Alps at a depth of approximately 1,400 meters and will allow goods and passengers to travel faster along a route that connects northern and southern Europe, streamlining one of the continent’s busiest logistics corridors.
Meanwhile, the conservative Stocker referred to the relief that the future underground railway line is expected to bring to the highway, but estimated that it will not be enough, thus alluding to the tensions between Vienna and Rome due to the measures that Austria has adopted to limit the circulation of trucks on its Alpine roads. Last year, Italy denounced Austria before the European Commission for these controversial measures that restrict freight traffic through the Brenner axis and Brussels agreed with it.
“The tunnel alone will not solve traffic problems,” given the “enormous load” that the Brenner motorway already supports and the problems it causes to traffic and the environment, warned the Austrian federal chancellor. However, given “the importance of transit,” he advocated seeking “neighborhood solutions,” both for highway and rail transportation.
