World’s longest rail tunnel achieves alpine breakthrough

A major milestone in European infrastructure was reached as the Brenner Base Tunnel broke through under the Alpine border, cutting future travel times between Austria and Italy by nearly two-thirds.

The Brenner Base Tunnel has completed its breakthrough 1.4km beneath the Brenner Pass, creating the first direct rail connection between Austria and Italy through the Alps.

The tunnel will link Fortezza, Italy with Innsbruck, Austria, enabling high-speed service at up to 250km/h and cutting journey times from 80 minutes to 25 minutes.

Italian contractor Webuild constructed the section using the “Flavia” tunnel boring machine. At 64km, the Brenner Base Tunnel will be the world’s longest railway tunnel.

The project is part of the Trans-European Transport Network’s Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor, establishing rail connectivity from Helsinki to Malta.

“This tunnel demonstrates Italy’s infrastructure sector capabilities in delivering strategic projects for sustainable European mobility,” said Pietro Salini, Webuild CEO.