to completion, it takes another eight years – in this week, however, the designers and builders of the European project, the Brenner base tunnel between Austria and Italy, have completed an important step. For the exploratory tunnel, which forms the basis for the construction of the planned two Zugröhren, was made on Monday after 16.7 miles thrust a punch. “In order 08.27 at the tunnel boring machine ‘Günther’, coming from the North, in the direction of the South, pierced by the last rock,” said the operator, BBT.

Thiemo Heeg

editor in the economy.

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“Günther”, a 1800-ton and 200-Meter-long machine from the German manufacturer Herrenknecht, creates the day a distance of up to 61 meters. It is for the professionals in a “factory in the mountain”, the town is now in the territory of the municipality, the two construction areas Tulfes-Pfons and Pfons burner Association. The section is considered to be one of the most complex of the project, for at times up to eight tunnel sections at the same time were broken. Up to 500 people from eight countries were engaged in it, it said.

64-kilometre-long

as a whole of the burner Tunnel, ultimately, is 64 kilometers long and the 2016 opened the Swiss Gotthard Tunnel to replace as the longest railway tunnel in the world. Including all of the supply tunnel of the project is achieved under the Brenner pass, however, a length of 230 kilometers. 128,5 km of which are now broken out, at least, as the project involved work it out. At a length of 36 kilometers, the Tunnel is connected now, in a consistent and passable.

the aim of the gigantic railway project is to relocate the freight traffic across the Alps, a considerable part of the road to the Rail. So far, the completion for the year 2028, it is planned. The base tunnel is according to the planning of two eight-metre-wide tubes, which run at a distance of 40 to 70 meters. The trains will single track ride in the one-way traffic.

From Innsbruck to South Tyrol in 25 minutes

After the completion of the tunnel from Innsbruck to Franzensfeste in South Tyrol to the travel time of the trains will decrease drastically. You will then be instead of 80 minutes, only 25 minutes on the road. The time saving is possible, because you will pass the journey across the 1371-Meter-high torch, where the national border between Austria and Italy runs can be avoided. Instead, the peak height of the tunnel is only 790 metres above the sea level. Is praised again and again the safety concept of the large-scale project. At intervals of 333 meters, a so-called Cross-cut connects the two tubes to facilitate emergency escape. A continuous exploration of tunnels currently being built, is located in the center and twelve meters below the two main tunnel tubes.