The Brenner Base Tunnel (German: Brennerbasistunnel; Italian: Galleria di base del Brennero) is a planned 56-kilometre (35 mi) long railway tunnel through the base of the Brenner massif. It will run from Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof in Austria to Franzensfeste (Fortezza) in Italy.
The Brenner Pass, in the Alps at the border between Austria and Italy, is one of the most important traffic connections between northern and southern Europe, and the motorway going over it is infamous for its frequent traffic jams. Also, pollution from this traffic is a major concern and political issue not only in the adjacent Inn valley, but also for European Union politics.
The hope is to relieve this situation by greatly improving the railway connection between North Tyrol and South Tyrol with the new tunnel, which will allow trains to cross the Alps much faster. Currently, speeds in the Brenner region barely exceed 70 km/h (43 mph) due to the steepness of the existing tracks, which cross the pass at a rather high elevation.
The project is funded by Austria and Italy, and a contribution by the European Union. Due to the magnitude of the project (it will be the world's second longest tunnel, after the Gotthard Base Tunnel), the funding promised so far will not suffice for the estimated costs. Austria and Italy are prepared to pay 30% each of the estimated EUR 6bn construction costs, and negotiations are underway concerning the rest of the funding.[1] A new construction time line with a 2022 finish date was put forth in a memorandum signed by the Austrian and Italian ministers of transport.[2]
It is predicted that 320 freight trains as well as 80 passenger trains will traverse the tunnel daily after its completion. The travel time from Innsbruck to Bolzano will be reduced from 2 hours to 50 minutes.[1]
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Status
In the summer of 2006 work started on a pilot tunnel that will run along the line of the future tunnel and will be used for removing water and spoil during the major construction phase. Construction of the pilot tunnel between 2006 and 2009 is estimated to cost €430 million and will be 50% EU funded.The Brenner tunnel is the most important link in a series of projects that will create a single track from Berlin in Germany to Palermo in Sicily.On December 2008 Antonio Tajani, the European commissioner for transport, approved funds totalling €1.7 billion to finance 11 railway projects that together should establish two major routes across the continent.[3]
On the 11th of May, 2009, it was confirmed that final go-ahead for the project had now been given. The final design will consist of two tunnels, 55km long, with a centre tunnel used during construction as a guide tunnel used to determine geological conditions, and later for drainage and emergency access. There will be cross over between the tunnels every 333m. ETCS Level 2 will be installed, and running speeds will be 250 km/h for passenger trains and 160 km/h for freight trains. The final estimated cost was put at €6bn at 2006 levels. Work is expected to be completed by December 31st, 2025.[4]
See also
External links
- BBT SE
- (Italian) Tunnel del Brennero: avviati i lavori alla presenza del Presidente Giorgio Napolitano
References
- ^ a b Müller-Meiningen, Julius (2008-04-30). "Monumentales Superloch" (in German). Sueddeutsche Zeitung. http://www.sueddeutsche.de/automobil/artikel/268/123098/.
- ^ van Miert, Karel (2007-09-10). "Annual activity report by the coordinator Karel Van Miert - PRIORITY PROJECT 1 Berlin-Verona/Milan-Bologna-Naples-Messina-Palermo rail link" (PDF). http://ec.europa.eu/ten/transport/coordinators/doc/2006_2007/2007_09_10_pp01_en.pdf. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ European Commission (2006-06-29). "Brenner Tunnel: construction of the exploratory gallery begins". Press release. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/880&format=HTML&aged=1&language=EN&guiLanguage=en. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
- ^ http://www.railwaygazette.com/news_view/article/2009/05/9572/brenner_base_tunnel_approved.html
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