Brenner Base Tunnel

Brenner Base Tunnel
Exploratory Tunnel Aica–Mules
Overview
LocationBrenner Pass
StatusUnder construction
SystemBrenner railway
StartInnsbruck, Austria
EndFranzensfeste, Italy
Operation
Work begun2008
Constructed2007–present
OpenedScheduled 2032
TrafficFreight trains and passenger trains
CharacterTwin tube
Passenger and freight
Third exploratory tunnel
Technical
Length64 km (40 mi)
No. of tracksDouble track
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
ElectrifiedElectrified
25 kV 50 Hz AC
Operating speed
  • Passenger:
  • 250 km/h (155 mph)
  • Freight:
  • 120 km/h (75 mph)
Highest elevation840 metres (2,760 ft)
Tunnel clearance8.1 metres (27 ft)
GradeAustria 7.4/1000
Italy 5/1000
Route map
Brenner Base Tunnel
Legend
 Lower Inn railway
to Rosenheim
 Lower Inn railway
to Innsbruck
 bridge over river Inn
Innsbruck bypass
North portal
 Ampass shaft
Brenner Base shaft
North portal to Innsbruck
 Ahrental shaft
Wolf shaft
Italy-Austria border
Mauls/Mules shaft
Aicha/Aica shaft
Brenner Base Tunnel
South portal
 Brenner railway
to Brenner/Brennero
 Franzensfeste
Brenner railway
to Brixen
Riggertal/Val Riga shaft
Albeins/Albes shaft
Eisack/Isarco bridge
Brenner Railway
Klausen/Chiusa shaft
Brenner railway
to Waidbruck/Ponte Gardena
 Brenner railway
to Bolzano/Bozen
 Laives/Leifers-Steinmannwald shaft
Brenner railway
to Bolzano/Bozen
 Brenner railway
to Verona

The Brenner Base Tunnel (German: Brennerbasistunnel; Italian: Galleria di base del Brennero) is a 55-kilometre-long (34 mi) railway tunnel under construction through the base of the Eastern Alps beneath the Brenner Pass. Once completed, the Brenner Base Tunnel will rank as either the second or third longest railway tunnel in the world, depending on the definition employed. It will be surpassed in length only by the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland and, depending on the relative completion dates of these projects, the Mont d'Ambin Base Tunnel between France and Italy. When combined with the Inntal Tunnel, which forms part of the existing Innsbruck bypass, the Brenner Base Tunnel will reach a length of 64 kilometres (40 mi), making it the longest underground railway connection in the world.[1][2]

It will run from near Innsbruck, in Austria, to Franzensfeste/Fortezza, in Italy, replacing part of the current Brenner railway.[3] The line is part of Line 1, the Berlin to Palermo route, of Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T) and funded by Austria and Italy with large contributions by the European Union. The tunnel is scheduled to be completed in 2032.[4][5]

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.[6] Pollution from transit traffic is a major concern because of the combination of temperature inversion with the narrow shape of the valleys leading to the pass.[7]

The goal 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 an elevation of 1,371 metres (4,498 ft) above sea level.[8]

The travel time from Innsbruck to Bolzano will be reduced from current 2 hours to just 50 minutes.[9]

  1. ^ "Did you know …". BBT-SE.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  2. ^ "BBT: Start of Works on the main Tunnel – tunnel". Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Case Study: Northern Approach Line to the Brenner Base Tunnel" (PDF). getzner. September 2010. p. 4. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
  4. ^ Fender, Keith (27 May 2021). "Governors protest latest delay to Brenner Base Tunnel construction". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  5. ^ Brenner Base Tunnel Delayed Modern Railways issue 874 July 2021 page 80
  6. ^ Cokelaere, Hanne (August 5, 2019). "Trucking hell in Tyrol". Politico. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  7. ^ de Franceschi, M.; Zardi, D. (March 2009). "Study of wintertime high pollution episodes during the Brenner-South ALPNAP measurement campaign". Meteorol Atmos Phys. 103 (1–4): 237–250. Bibcode:2009MAP...103..237D. doi:10.1007/s00703-008-0327-2. ISSN 1436-5065. S2CID 120275169.
  8. ^ Bruzzo, Marco (18 August 2017). "Ferrovia del Brennero, 150 anni fa i primi treni". Tutto Treno Blog (in Italian). Archived from the original on 9 February 2018.
  9. ^ Müller-Meiningen, Julius (2008-04-30). "Monumentales Superloch". Sueddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 2008-05-23.