Construction of the world’s longest railway tunnel — the Brenner Tunnel — has been completed in the Alps. It connects Austria and Italy under the Brenner Pass at a depth of 1,370 meters, cutting travel time between Munich and Verona by 2.5 hours.
The Brenner Tunnel is a key link in the European corridor from Helsinki to Palermo. It will not only speed up passenger rail travel, but also give a strong boost to the region’s economy and environment. At the same time, new lines are being built from Genoa to Lyon and Milan, which by 2030 will almost halve travel time between Milan and Paris.
The project is part of the European Union’s program to expand rail transport and reduce transport emissions. More than 2 million trucks cross the pass each year, and now a significant share of freight will be carried by rail. The project will significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions and the burden on Alpine highways, replacing planes and trucks with environmentally friendly high-speed trains.
