By Lynda Myer
Considering that the TBM arrive at the border with Austria, Webuild and Ghella have completed digging of the eastern line of the Brenner Base Tunnel.
With a daily performance of around 10.2m, TBM Virginia, which was commissioned in 2019, tunneled the 14km line.
The completed per cent of the excavations process on the Lot 61 Mules 2-3 section reached to 91% with this landmark.
According to Webuild CEO Pietro Salini, that believes the Brenner Base Tunnel is a strategic project for all of Europe,: “Italy’s recently approved public works code would reduce bureaucracy and help get the country back on its feet with the right infrastructure.”
As the longest rail tunnel in the world, the Brenner Base Tunnel with 64km length is being constructed under the Alps to link Italy and Austria, decreasing the journey time from Fortezza to Innsbruck from 80 minutes to 25 minutes. It will be a key part of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
Also completion of the Lot H71 Isarco River Underpass and Strabag, Consorzio Integra and Collini Lavori, is the purpose of Webuild along with completing Lot 61 Mules 2-3 on the Italian side. Completing the 38km tunnel Tulfes-Pfons section on the Austrian side, it has commenced work on Lot H41 Gola del Sill-Pfons in a 50/50 joint venture with Implenia.
Extension of Gola del Sill-Pfons lot with €651m (US$708.6m) value is from near Innsbruck southward to the town of Pfons and includes construction of a total of 22.5km of twin main tunnels plus 38 cross passages, an underground emergency stops at Innsbruck, and other underground works.
Additionally, cooperation between Webuild and Implenia in Italy is undergoing in a consortium on the Fortezza-Ponte Gardena rail line.
In order to connecting the new main line to the existing railway network, the €1.07bn (US$1.16bn) high-capacity railway contract comprises of the construction of a 22km-long twin-tube main tunnel and a 3km-long twin-tube secondary tunnel.
The design and construction contract for a rail bypass project in Trento, Italy, has been granted to a consortium of Webuild, Ghella and Collini ni February. It involves works for around 13km of rail line, including construction of the about 10.6km-long Trento Tunnel, and two short sections above ground alongside the existing line, while four TBMs are due to dug the tunnel, with two working at either end and advancing 15-20m a day.
