The Brenner Base Tunnel - a new link through the Alps

Tunnel at the rock basis 8 Since suitable track expansion is not possible, due to the steep ascent to the Brenner pass at 1,371 meters above sea level and the way the current line winds through the landscape, the Brenner Base Tunnel is being constructed through the very base of the Brenner massif. On Austrian territory the Brenner Base Tunnel runs almost flat, with a 6.7 ‰ slope, to the state border and then slopes downwards on the Italian side, at 4 ‰. The tunnel follows a fairly straight line and reduces the length of the existing stretch between Innsbruck and Fortezza from 75 km to 55 km. The need for a flat railway The new route significantly cuts passenger transport times. Passenger trains can pass through the tunnel at over 200 km/h, and thanks to the elimination of the sloping stretches, more, longer and heavier trains can navigate the route. The flat track means that these trains need less energy and, due to the shorter route, less time to arrive at their destination. The Brenner Base Tunnel means that future travel from Innsbruck to Fortezza will take 25 minutes. Currently, travel time is 80 minutes. 1.500 1.000 500 0 altitude (m above sea level) existing Brenner railway line Brenner Base Tunnel Kufstein Innsbruck Steinach a. B. slope slope Brennero Vipiteno Fortezza Bolzano 1.371m 26‰ 790m Altitude profile Brenner railway line / Brenner Base Tunnel Through the Alps in 25 minutes 4 – 7‰