Brenner Base Tunnel
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Brenner Pass |
| Status | Under Construction |
| System | Brenner railway |
| Start | Innsbruck, Austria |
| End | Fortezza, Italy |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | 2008 |
| Opened | Scheduled 2026 |
| Traffic | freight trains and passenger trains |
| Character | Twin tube Passenger and Freight |
| Technical | |
| Construction | 2006– |
| Length | 55 km (34 mi) |
| No. of tracks | Double track |
| Gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) Standard gauge |
| Electrified | Electrified 25kV 50 Hz AC |
| Operating speed | 250 km/h (160 mph) Passenger 160 km/h (99 mph) Freight |
| Highest elevation | 840 metres (2,760 ft) |
| Grade | Austria 7.4/1000 Italy 5/1000 |
The Brenner Base Tunnel (German: Brennerbasistunnel; Italian: Galleria di base del Brennero) is a planned 55-kilometre (34 mi) long railway tunnel through the base of the Brenner massif. It will run from Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof in Austria to Franzensfeste (Fortezza) in Italy, replacing part of the current Brenner railway.[1] The line is part of Line 1, the Berlin to Palermo route, of Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T).
The Brenner Pass, in the Alps at the border between Austria and Italy, is one of the most important traffic connections between northern and southern Europe, and the motorway going over it is infamous for its frequent traffic jams. Also, pollution from this traffic is a major concern and political issue not only in the adjacent Inn valley, but also for European Union politics.
The hope is to relieve this situation by greatly improving the railway connection between North Tyrol and South Tyrol with the new tunnel, which will allow trains to cross the Alps much faster. Currently, speeds in the Brenner region barely exceed 70 km/h (43 mph) due to the steepness of the existing tracks, which cross the pass at a rather high elevation.
The project is funded by Austria and Italy, and a contribution by the European Union. Due to the magnitude of the project (it will be the world's second longest tunnel, after the Gotthard Base Tunnel), the funding promised so far will not suffice for the estimated costs. The tunnel is scheduled to be completed in 2025. [2]
The travel time from Innsbruck to Bolzano will be reduced from 2 hours to 50 minutes.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Background
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The passenger and freight traffic across the Alps has increased greatly in recent years and further growth is forecast. About three-quarters of traffic through the Brenner Pass is currently carried by road transport. Local residents have long fought for relief from the associated pollution. The construction of a rail tunnel is considered by its proponents to be necessary for a shift of freight traffic from road to rail.
The railway line from Innsbruck to Bozen was built between 1860 and 1867. Tight curve radii and gradients of up to 25 per thousand complicate rail operations. However, improvements on the Italian side in recent years to the existing line, which were completed in late 2008 allow the line theoretically to accommodate 240 trains per day. The grades were not significantly improved.
The new Brenner line would have a maximum gradient of 12 per thousand and the gradient in the tunnel would be about seven per thousand. Thus, a locomotive would be capable of hauling more than double the weight. The new line (the base tunnel together with the southern approach from Waidbruck/Ponte Gardena to Franzensfeste/Fortezza) would cut travel time between Innsbruck and Bozen from about two hours today to less than half that.
[edit] Project
[edit] Main tunnel
The 55 kilometres (34 mi) long, twin-tube tunnel begins in the Innsbruck suburb of Wilten and penetrates the Alps reaching a height of about 840 metres (2,760 ft) above sea level (ASL). The tunnel will be up to 1,800 m (5,900 ft) below the surface at Franzensfeste/Fortezza. Since under the most recent plan the tunnel starts as a twin-tube tunnel, the junction already prepared in the Inntal tunnel on the Innsbruck bypass will not be used, instead a costly diversion with several branches is planned. The volume of rock to be excavated during the construction of the tunnel is estimated at 11.1 million m³, of which approximately 6.8 million m³ will be incurred in Austria, as about 60% of the tunnel will be in Austria. 6 million m³ of the spoil would be used as fill for the approach lines, 2.35 million m³ in the concrete aggregate and 2.75 million m³ would be used for line side embankments and revegetation. The main tunnels would have a circular cross section with a diameter of 9.6 m (31 ft).
According to current planning the apex of the tunnel would be at the border at an altitude of about 810 m (2,660 ft) ASL, although an apex farther south would have been lower. The placing of the apex at the border is set out in the treaty between Austria and Italy. As justification for this choice it is stated that this would allow Austrian water to run in the tunnel to Austria and Italian water to Italy. The Austrian section of the tunnel will have a gradient of 7.4 per thousand and the Italian section will have a gradient of 5 per thousand.
[edit] Northern approach
On its north end, the base tunnel (BBT) has two entrances, which must go underground a few kilometres before the junction with the main tunnels, and will also be built as part of the BBT. One route leads from the main Innsbruck station under Bergisel and the other connects with the Innsbruck bypass. This route adds about 8 kilometres more to the length of the tunnel than the Innsbruck station route; with it included, the BBT (at 62.7 km) would become the longest continuous railroad tunnel in the world. However, if the Axentunnel extension is added to the Gotthard base tunnel, its length would become 75 kilometer, allowing it to reclaim the 'longest tunnel' title.
The northern approach from Munich within Germany is the 165 km Grafing–Rosenheim–Kufstein route. A more direct route between Munich and Innsbruck, for example, via Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Mittenwald and Seefeld was not pursued, though it could be shortened the Munich Innsbruck line to 129 km.
In Austria, a new double-track high-speed line is being built to supplement the Lower Inn Valley railway between Wörgl and Baumkirchen. About 32 km of the 40 km line through the Lower Inn Valley (Unterinntal) is currently being built underground, in troughs, or under snow sheds. Noise and vibration mitigation is being accomplished by the use of 80,000 square metres (860,000 sq ft) of elastomer in a mass-spring system. The segment's track superstructure is load class E5. It is capable of handling 260-300 trains per day. This section is due to be completed in 2012.[1] Planning is under way on the continuation of this line to the German border at Brannenburg. There is currently no firm commitment to upgrade the two- line railway from Grafing to Brannenburg.
[edit] Southern approach
The southern approach for the BBT will be 189 km long and reach from the southern portal of the tunnel in Franzensfeste/Fortezza to Verona. Planning has been completed for some sections. The Italian government has budgeted €6 billion for the construction of the entire southern approach. Critics consider this estimate too optimistic and fear that the project will fail because of high construction costs.
[edit] History
The Brenner tunnel is the most important link in a series of projects that will create a single track from Berlin in Germany to Palermo in Sicily.
In the summer of 2006 work started on a pilot tunnel to run along the line of the future tunnel and to be used for removing water and spoil during the major construction phase. Construction of the pilot tunnel between 2006 and 2009 was estimated to cost €430 million and would be 50% EU funded.
On December 2008 Antonio Tajani, the European commissioner for transport, approved funds totalling €1.7 billion to finance 11 railway projects that together should establish two major routes across the continent.[4][5]
In May 2009 it was confirmed that final go-ahead for the project had now been given.[6]
The final estimated cost was put at €6bn at 2006 levels. In 2007 a construction time line with a 2022 finish date was specified in a memorandum signed by the Austrian and Italian ministers of transport.[7] By May 2009 the completion date was changed to be by December 31, 2025.[6]
[edit] Design
The final design will consist of two tunnels, 55 kilometres (34 mi) long. A centre tunnel 12 metres (39 ft) below the two primary tunnels will be used during construction as a guide tunnel to determine geological conditions, and later for drainage and emergency access. There will be a cross over between the tunnels every 333 metres (1,093 ft). Multi-function stations will be located at Trens (in Freienfeld), Steinach, and a third station towards the northern end of the tunnel to provide operational and emergency services. ETCS Level 2 will be installed to provide train control.[6]
[edit] Specifications
- Gauge – Track gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) (standard gauge)
- Running speeds will be 250 km/h for passenger trains and 160 km/h for freight trains.[6]
- Power will change over to 25kV 50 Hz AC from ÖBB’s 15 kV 16 2⁄3 Hz power in the approaches.[6]
[edit] See also
- AlpTransit
- Austrian Federal Railways
- High-speed rail in Italy
- Lyon Turin Ferroviaire
- Megaproject
- Treno Alta Velocità
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Brenner Basistunnel |
- BBT SE
- (Italian) Tunnel del Brennero: avviati i lavori alla presenza del Presidente Giorgio Napolitano
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Case Study: Northern approach line to the Brenner Base Tunnel" (PDF). getzner. September 2010. pp. 4. http://www.getzner.com/fileadmin/data/upload/referenzen/case_studies/eng/03_CS_Brenner_Zulauf_ENG.pdf. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
- ^ "IEWY news: Green light for Brenner Base Tunnel". 2011-04-19. http://www.iewy.com/23723-green-light-for-brenner-base-tunnel.html.
- ^ Müller-Meiningen, Julius (2008-04-30). "Monumentales Superloch" (in German). Sueddeutsche Zeitung. http://www.sueddeutsche.de/automobil/artikel/268/123098/.
- ^ "Brenner Tunnel: construction of the exploratory gallery begins" (Press release). European Commission. 2006-06-29. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/880&format=HTML&aged=1&language=EN&guiLanguage=en. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
- ^ "Railway Gazette: TEN-T rail funding signed". http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/ten-t-rail-funding-signed.html. Retrieved 2010-10-18.
- ^ a b c d e "Railway Gazette: Brenner base tunnel approved". 11 May 2009. http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/brenner-base-tunnel-approved.html. Retrieved 2010-10-18.
- ^ van Miert, Karel (2007-09-10). "Annual activity report by the coordinator Karel Van Miert - PRIORITY PROJECT 1 Berlin-Verona/Milan-Bologna-Naples-Messina-Palermo rail link" (PDF). http://ec.europa.eu/ten/transport/coordinators/doc/2006_2007/2007_09_10_pp01_en.pdf. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
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