Brenner Base Tunnel TBM passes factory test
3 January 2023The first of two TBMs for one of the longest sections of the Brenner Base Tunnel on Austrian territory has passed its Factory Acceptance Test.
The Implenia, Webuild and CSC consortium will use the Herrenknecht TBM, named Lilia, to build Lot H41 Sill Gorge-Pfons. The 160m-long Lilia is a single shield hard rock TBM with a 10.37 diameter.
The TBM is now being dismantled and transported to the assembly cavern in Ahrental, south of Innsbruck. Onsite assembly will start at the end of January and Lilia will be launched in spring, excavating 8.1km southwards in the east main tunnel.
Starting from the Ahrental access tunnel, Lot H41 Sill Gorge-Pfons comprises the construction of the main tunnels heading north to Innsbruck and south to Pfons. Approximately 5.7km will be excavated using conventional construction methods and around 16.4km by TBM. Interior work will also be carried out on the main tunnels, the Innsbruck emergency stop and the exploratory tunnel. The work, valued at €651m (US$698m), is expected to take around 80 months.
The Brenner Base Tunnel will be a 55km railway tunnel stretching from Innsbruck in Austria and Fortezza in Italy. Linking to an existing line south of Innsbruck will create the world’s longest underground railway connection.
