A €380 million tunnelling contract for the Tulfes-Pfons section of the Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT) has been won by STRABAG and Italian contractor Salini Impregilo.
The contract, which is the largest to be awarded for the BBT project, covers 38 kilometres of tunnelling, including the main twin-tube railway and, an exploratory tunnel, a parallel rescue tunnel and connecting side tunnels.
Work is set to begin on site in the autumn and is expected to continue for the next four-and-a-half years.
The €8.6 billion Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT) will be the second-longest rail tunnel in the world, behind the Gotthard Base Tunnel, once complete in 2025.
The BBT is at the centre of the 2,200 kilometre Berlin – Palermo railway and once open, will cut the overall journey time by two-and-a-half hours.
