A project linking Europe
The Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT) is a straight, flat railway tunnel between Austria and Italy. It runs from Innsbruck to Fortezza (55 km). If we add the Innsbruck railway bypass, which has already been built and which is the endpoint for the Brenner Base Tunnel, the entire tunnel system through the Alps is 64 km long. It is the longest underground rail link in the world.
The BBT is the heart of the Berlin-–Palermo corridor which runs for 2,200 km from North to South. It is also known as the TEN-1 axis. The European Union supports the expansion of this transnational stretch and considers it a top priority.
The BBT is meant primarily for freight transport, allowing a modal shift of traffic from road to rail. Passenger trains can also travel through the tunnel. Thanks to the virtually horizontal tunnel train traffic will no longer have to contend with the steep up- and downhill slopes on the Brenner railway line that by now is over 140 years old.
