Brenner bash signals working resolve

A ceremony was held in Innsbruck last month to mark Austria and Italy's agreement to launch work on the 55km Brenner Base Tunnel. The decision was made following an agreement on cost and finance for the project, estimated at approximately USD 11.4bn, including risk provision.

Works will begin from Innsbruck, Austria, in the north and Fortezza, Italy, in the south. Construction on the main tunnel, running between Ahrental and Trens will begin in 2016 with completion scheduled for 2025. Excavation work on the exploratory and access tunnels started in 2008 and has made good progress.

“This decision marks an important step forward,” said Siim Kallas, European commissioner for transport. “In these economically difficult times, investing in a sustainable European transport policy is more important than ever.

“In line with the objectives of the White Paper on the Future of Transport the Brenner Base Tunnel will deliver a crucial contribution for rail transport to play its part in more resource efficient and sustainable alpine transport.”

The cross-border tunnel will remove a major bottleneck for both freight and passenger transit between Austria and Italy. It was part of the vision for Priority Project One, the Berlin, Germany to Palermo, Sicily section of the Trans-European Network (TEN).

“Today’s decision reflects the progress made by Austria and Italy in recent months as well as by the Brenner Corridor Platform and other stakeholders since the start of this important TEN-T Priority Project,” said Pat Cox, coordinator for Priority Project One. “It is a tribute to all those who have worked with such commitment to ensure the realisation of one of Europe’s major future rail corridors.”