Brenner Base Tunnel, “H61 Mules 2-3” section

The Brenner Base Tunnel will span approximately 55 km between the stations of Fortezza (Italy) and Innsbruck (Austria), connecting underground to the existing bypass railway and reaching a total lenght of 64km. Once completed, the Brenner Base Tunnel will be the longest underground rail link in the world. The project forms part of the Munich-Verona High Speed/High Capacity axis and the TEN-T trans-European transport network, dubbed “The European metro line,” specifically within the Scandinavian-Mediterranean corridor. The “Mules 2-3” construction section is the largest in the entire project area and extends from the northern border of the other Italian section, called “Isarco Underpass”, to the Italian-Austrian border. This section includes the construction of the two main line tunnels, an exploratory tunnel, cross passages and the emergency stop station (one of the three located along the entire route and the only one on Italian territory) with the related access tunnel.

Benefits

1. Travel time reduced by 55 minutes for passengers and 1 hour 10 minutes for freight compared to the existing line.
2. Modal shift from road to rail for connections between Austria and Italy.
3. Reduction in CO2 emissions.