📋 Tender Overview
Virginia has arrived at the Brenner pass. This is how the tunnel boring machine TBM was renamed which has excavated 14 km in the last four years thus completing a significant part of the Brenner Base Tunnel reaching as far as the border with Austria. The work which develops over a length of 230 km is currently almost 70 complete as 157 km of tunnels have already been built.This is an important stage for a work that will change the mobility of travelers and goods between Italy and Europe - said Vera Fiorani RFI managing director who was present today at the ceremony for the milestone achieved together with the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini the president of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano Arno Kompatscher the deputy governor of Tyrol Josef Geisler the managing director of Webuild Pietro Salini and the members of the management board of BBT the company that is building the excavation Gilberto Cardola and Martin Gradnitzer .The entry into service of the Base Tunnel added Fiorani will make it possible to reach Innsbruck from the Fortezza station in just 25 minutes compared to the current 80. With a more regular offer shorter journey times and better specialization of the lines with direct benefits for regional and freight transport. The new cross-border crossing will in fact make it possible to break down the steep differences in height of the natural barrier of the Alps and thanks to the straight course almost without curves will make it possible for longer and heavier trains to pass. The new railway infrastructure will offer a valid alternative for freight traffic and will open up a new travel dimension to passenger traffic.The Brenner tunnel - commented Minister Salvini - represents the temple of union of the free movement of men and goods and therefore I am aware that the free movement of men and goods exists both underground and above ground by train by car and by truck without limitations. We are in 2023 and we need to travel trade and unite not divide.The construction of the Base Tunnel is also directly connected to the quadrupling of the Fortezza-Verona line which connects with it to the south and which will allow a transit capacity of up to 400 trains per day . A total work of 3 billion euros part of which comes from Pnrr funds where the construction sites of the Fortezza-Ponte Gardena line are already active to which those of the Trento ring road will soon be added currently in the executive planning phase. The assignment of the management of the work to an extraordinary commissioner Paola Firmi testifies to the governments strong attention to this strategic infrastructural work a fundamental element for the creation of the European Scandinavia-Mediterranean Corridor .The contract for the design and construction of the Variante di Val di Riga is also being awarded an important railway link in view of the Milan - Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics to connect the Val Pusteria with the Brenner line creating two new stops in Varna and Sciaves. Finally the work to upgrade the Bressanone station preparatory to the construction of the new line has already been awarded. The Virginia cutter protagonist of the excavation has impressive numbers. Its total weight is 2750 tons which corresponds to that of about 8 fully loaded Boeing 747 long-haul aircraft while the engine power of 4200 kW can be compared to that of 17 Formula 1 single-seaters.Lastly it is particularly significant that we reached the Italian-Austrian border close to the 25th anniversary of the abolition of border controls between the two countries. It was 1 April 1998 when in the presence of the then ministers Giorgio Napolitano and Karl Schloegl the border barrier was removed for the entry into force of the Schengen treaty.
