Overview

• Workers broke through the final rock wall on Sept. 18 to join the Italy–Austria sections of the Brenner Base Tunnel at a ceremony attended by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
• The tunnel will run 55 km under the Alps, extending to 64 km with existing links, is co-funded by Italy, Austria and the EU, and is projected to cost about €8.5–€8.8 billion with first trains expected in 2032.
• The link is designed to cut the Fortezza–Innsbruck journey to under 25 minutes and to reverse the Brenner corridor’s current 70% road versus 30% rail freight split.
• German connecting infrastructure north of Innsbruck remains unfinished, a gap that could constrain the tunnel’s early impact.
• Italy’s wider rail program includes the Tortona–Genoa line slated to start shifting port freight next year and cut Milan–Genoa trips to about one hour, the Lyon–Turin tunnel targeting around 2033, and the Strait of Messina bridge awaiting court-of-audits approval to begin preliminary works.