Works on the Italian side of the Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT) have been completed following Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Flavia’s 14 kilometre journey beneath the Alps.
The new structure, which will become the longest railway tunnel in the world at 64 kilometres, hit the significant milestone within Lot Mules 2-3 and was carried out by a consortium led by Webuild on behalf of BBT SE.
The Brenner Base Tunnel is set to connect Fortezza, Italy, and Innsbruck, Austria, at travel speeds of up to 250km/h, cutting current journey times from 80 minutes to 25 and forms part of the Muninch–Verona railway axis and will serve as a crucial element in the Scandinavian–Mediterranean Corridor of the TEN-T network.
Lot Mules 2-3, the largest lot involved in the infrastructure project, forms the main section on the Italian side of the project and involves the excavation of a 65-kilometre long tunnel system, more than 40 of which have thus far been excavated using TBMs.
Lot Mules 2-3 has now reached 98% completion with the help of TBM Flavia excavating the westbound main tunnel, whilst TBM Virginia completed the eastbound tunnel in March 2023.
