The Brenner Base Tunnel - a new link through the Alps

INNSBRUCK Innsbruck quartz phyllite Viggartal Navistal Padastertal Schmirntal Valser Tal Arztal Bündner schists Brenner Base Tunnel Brenner Base Tunnel a.s.l. 2500 0 -2500 -5000 0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 22 The geological conditions in the interior of a mountain cannot be accurately predicted even using the latest technology, but projections by experienced geologists, exploratory drilling and the exploration tunnel, which runs from end to end of the tunnel system, minimise construction risk. Whether, and where, a tunnel can be built is largely determined by the geological and hydrogeological conditions. To determine the appropriate route for the Brenner Base Tunnel over 35,000 meters of boreholes were drilled at various points over the project area, some of these down to tunnel level. Rock samples were also taken and analysed in the laboratory. The geological conditions in the interior of a mountain cannot be precisely predicted even using the latest technology. Therefore, an uninterrupted exploratory tunnel is being excavated as part of the Brenner Base Tunnel project to obtain more detailed information on the nature of the rock along the route and thereby optimise the excavation from both a technical and an economical point of view. On its route from Innsbruck to Fortezza the Brenner Base Tunnel crosses roughly four different rock types: quartz phyllite, schist, gneiss and granite. Through the rock mass of the Brenner massif Geological longitudinal section between Innsbruck and Fortezza