November 19th, 2019 is a date that will go down in history at the Brenner Base Tunnel: 50% of the excavation work is complete. Of the total 230 km of tunnels to be driven, 115.043 km have been completed.
The Brenner Base Tunnel is actually a system which includes the two main rail transit tunnels, the bypasses that connect them, the exploratory tunnel and the emergency stops, besides the access, logistics and service tunnels, for a total of 230 km of tunnels.
Fully operational:
Currently, four construction lots are active, Tulfes-Pfons, Pfons-Brenner (Austria), Mules and the Isarco River Underpass (Italy) and about 500 m per week are driven forward. Production will further increase with the start of work on other construction sites near Innsbruck (Sill Gorge).
At present, about 1,900 people are working non-stop in Austria and Italy so that this great infrastructure project can become a reality.
“This is our halfway point. What lies before us will be an even greater challenge, so we will have to do our utmost to reach the common goal of building the Brenner Base Tunnel”, note the CEOs of BBT SE, Gilberto Cardola and Martin Gradnitzer.
Brenner Base Tunnel: a project for the future
With the Brenner Base Tunnel, we see the birth of a railway that looks toward the future, crossing the Alps at the base of the mountains, with no more steep passes that are difficult to negotiate. The Brenner Base Tunnel is the key element of the new Brenner railway line from Munich to Verona. It is and will continue to be a pioneering work of engineering for the twenty-first century and will significantly improve mobility in the heart of Europe, especially along the parts of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor running from Helsinki to Malta and linking northern and southern Europe.
Image/graphics: Credit: BBT SE