Excavation work on the Italian side of the Brenner Base Tunnel has been completed.
TBM Flavia, the last of three TBMs operated by the Webuild-led consortium for the H61 Mauls section, has finished the excavation of the west main tunnel. The TBM, which was launched in April 2019, has bored beneath the Alps for the Mules 2-3 lot, reaching the border with Austria.
The 10.71m-diameter TBM Flavia installed 65,000 segments along the 14.3km tunnel.
TBM Serena, which excavated a large part of the exploratory tunnel on the Italian side, reached its destination in November 2021. TBM Virginia completed its journey in March 2023 after finishing the excavation of the eastern main tunnel.
In April 2023, TBM Flavia came to a standstill for several months approximately 3.5km from the Brenner Pass because of the overburden of more than 1,200m and the low strength of the fractured rock. The TBM was restarted after several attempts.
Overall progress on Lot Mules 2-3 now stands at over 95%.
The Mules 2-3 Lot, which represents the main section of the Italian side of the tunnel, is a key component of the project. It involves the excavation of a system of 65km of tunnels, over 40km of which were bored using TBMs.
BBT SE board members Gilberto Cardola and Martin Gradnitzer acknowledged the tunnelling team’s work.
“With the arrival of TBM Flavia, the mechanised tunnelling on the Italian side has been successfully completed. This success is primarily due to the commitment and team spirit of the tunnelling crew, who worked with the utmost professionalism and under safe conditions every day. Sincere thanks also go to the planners, engineers, geologists, and all BBT SE employees involved in the construction, whose valuable contributions made a significant contribution to achieving this important milestone,” they said.
Webuild is also engaged in other lots of the Brenner Base Tunnel. It is also working on the Austrian side of the tunnel, with the Gola del Sill-Pfons Lot, and has completed the Tulfes-Pfons Lot, also on the Austrian side of the border. The company also built the Isarco Underpass, which marks the southernmost point of the tunnel before reaching the Fortezza station.
Along the Munich-Verona railway axis, Webuild is also working on the project to strengthen the Fortezza-Ponte Gardena section and the Trento Rail bypass. These two initiatives are designed to enhance the infrastructure connecting to the Brenner Base Tunnel.
The 64km Brenner Base Tunnel between Austria and Italy via the Alps, will be the world’s longest rail tunnel. It will connect the cities of Fortezza in Italy and Innsbruck in Austria. Passenger trains will travel at speeds of up to 250km/h, cutting travel time from the current 80 minutes to 25 minutes.
It is part of the Munich-Verona railway axis and a key element of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor of the TEN-T network.
