Brenner Base Tunnel

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It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the construction or completion of the tunnel approaches, and more information becomes available.

The Brenner Base Tunnel (Italian: Galleria di base del Brennero; German: Brennerbasistunnel) a 56-kilometre (35 mi) long railway tunnel under construction[1] through the base of the Brenner massive.

The Brenner Pass, in the Alps at the border between Austria and Italy, is one of the most important traffic connections between northern and southern Europe, and the motorway going over it is infamous for its frequent traffic jams. Also, pollution from this traffic is a major concern and political issue not only in the adjacent Inn valley, but also for European Union politics.

The hope is to relieve this situation by greatly improving the railway connection between Tyrol and Italy with the new tunnel, which will allow trains to cross the Alps much faster. Currently, speeds in the Brenner region barely exceed 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph) due to the steepness of the existing tracks, which cross the pass at a rather high elevation.

The project is funded by Austria and Italy, and a contribution by the European Union. Due to the magnitude of the project (it will be the world's second longest tunnel, after the Gotthard Base Tunnel), the funding promised so far will not suffice for the estimated costs. Austria and Italy are prepared to pay 30% each of the estimated EUR 6bn construction costs, and negotiations are underway concerning the rest of the funding.[1] It is open whether the goal, namely to finish by 2015 will be reached. A new construction time line with a 2022 finish date was put forth in a memorandum signed by the Austrian and Italian ministers of transport.[2]

It is predicted that 320 freight trains as well as 80 passenger trains will traverse the tunnel daily after its completion. The travel time from Innsbruck to Bolzano will be reduced from 2 hours to 50 minutes.[1]

Contents

[edit] Status

In the summer of 2006 work started on a pilot tunnel that will run along the line of the future tunnel and will be used for removing water and spoil during the major construction phase. Construction of the pilot tunnel between 2006 and 2009 is estimated to cost €430 million and will be 50% EU funded.[3]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Müller-Meiningen, Julius. "Monumentales Superloch", Sueddeutsche Zeitung, 2008-04-30. (German) 
  2. ^ van Miert, Karel (2007-09-10). Annual activity report by the coordinator Karel van Miert - PRIORITY PROJECT 1 Berlin-Verona/Milan-Bologna-Naples-Messina-Palermo rail link (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
  3. ^ European Commission (2006-06-29). "Brenner Tunnel: construction of the exploratory gallery begins". Press release. Retrieved on 2006-12-13.
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