The Core of the European North-South Rail Link
Corridors are being established with the help of the Trans-European Networks (TEN), which connect major sea ports with the European rail infrastructure. It is the European Union’s goal to set up goods transport and passenger traffic on an economic and ecologically friendly basis. The Scan-Med Corridor is the longest and most important link, running from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean. The Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT) represents a decisive core element of the European Corridor No. 5 from Helsinki to Valetta (Malta). The costs for the 64 km long underground rail link are earmarked at 8.5 billion euros; 40 % of this amount is borne by the EU with Italy and Austria each contributing 30 %.
The starting shot for driving the first bore of the Brenner Base Tunnel was fired on March 19, 2015 in the Innsbruck Ahrental Valley. EU transport commissioner Violeta Bulc took over the patronage of the tunnel and symbolically initiated the blasting process. The following day the 2015 BrennerCongress “Cross Alpine Corridors” took place in Innsbruck, attended by a whole series of leading experts. Together with his colleagues for trans-European networks, EU Coordinator Pat Cox discussed challenges and opportunities for cross-border transport arteries. Representatives from north-west Europe and...