Overview

• Crews removed the final diaphragm in the exploratory adit, creating the first continuous underground rail connection between Italy and Austria.
• Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni and Austrian chancellor Christian Stocker attended the cross-border ceremony with EU transport officials.
• Once complete, the 64–65 km twin-bore will be the world’s longest railway tunnel and is designed for passenger speeds up to 250 km/h.
• Travel times between Fortezza and Innsbruck are projected to fall from about 80 to 25 minutes for passengers and from 105 to 35 minutes for freight.
• The project now moves to tunnel lining, railway systems and key access works such as the Fortezza–Ponte Gardena expansion, with service targeted around 2032 to shift freight from road to rail and cut congestion and emissions.