Between Austria and Italy, beneath the Alpine Brenner Pass, one of the European Union’s (EU) key infrastructure projects is underway – the construction of the Brenner Base Tunnel, which aims to replace part of the existing railway line and alleviate a crucial transport corridor in Europe.
The tunnel, which began construction in 2008, will connect Innsbruck in Austria with Fortezza in Italy. It will be 55 kilometers long, which means that when completed, it will be the second or third-longest railway tunnel in the world. Considering the existing bypass around Innsbruck, this 64-kilometer route would be the longest tunnel in the world.
Currently, the longest and deepest railway tunnel is the 57-kilometer Gotthard Base Tunnel under the Swiss Alps. Additionally, the 57.5-kilometer Mont d’Ambin Tunnel is under construction in France, which will be part of the railway link between Lyon and Turin in Italy. It is expected to be completed by 2032, as is the Brenner Base Tunnel, making its construction span nearly a quarter of a century.
The Brenner Base Tunnel is a joint project between Italy, Austria, and the EU. The latter is involved because the tunnel is part of the Scan-Med European Transport Corridor, one of nine key corridors in the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
Convoys of trucks in the Alps
The Scandinavian-Mediterranean Transport Corridor, or Scan-Med, is the longest of the key TEN-T corridors, and its purpose is to connect Northern Europe with Southern Europe, from Helsinki to Malta. One of the biggest bottlenecks on this route is currently the Brenner Pass, which at 1.370 meters above sea level, is the lowest pass through the Eastern Alps.
Both a highway and a railway pass through the Brenner Pass, with 30 percent of all goods transported across the Alps passing through this route, according to logistics company Cargo Partner. Of this, 70 percent is road traffic, meaning 2.5 million trucks cross the pass annually. The problem with the existing railway line over the pass is the steep incline.
Together, these factors result in traffic congestion, noise, local dissatisfaction, and negative environmental impacts, explains the Austrian logistics company.
Joint project
The Brenner Base Tunnel project is being carried out by BBT SE, a company established for this purpose. Its partners are Austria and Italy, which together contribute half of the project’s funding. Specifically, the Austrian part of the investment belongs to the state railway company OBB, while the Italian part belongs to the holding company Tunnel Ferroviario del Brennero (TFB).
Since 2016, the EU has also contributed to the project, initially adding 50 percent of the funds for research and planning and 40 percent of the money for construction. It now contributes half of the construction funding. BBT SE applies for tenders for European funds, as do other projects within the TEN-T network.
To date, the EU has contributed about 1.6 billion euros to the project, including some subsidies before 2016, according to the project operator, Forbes writes.
E.Dz.
Credits: Railway-news/ALPTRANSIT GOTTHARD
