By rosebell
Production of segments for the Brenner Base Tunnel’s biggest construction lot has been completed.
The Isocell plant in Hinterrigger, began production for the Lot H61 Mules 2-3 in December 2017 and has now produced almost 26,000 rings and more than 38,000 base segments for the main tunnels and an exploratory tunnel.
Project manager Alessandro Marottoli said: “From 13 December 2017 to 19 September 2024, when the production of segments for the BBT ended in Hinterrigger, 16,285 rings and 16,298 base segments were produced for the main tunnels, as well as 9,456 rings and 21,762 base segments for the exploratory tunnel.”
Each ring is made up of seven segments plus one base segment in the main tunnels and two base elements for the exploratory tunnel. In total, 218,247 segments were produced in Hinterrigger for the Brenner Base Tunnel. Each segment of the main tunnel weighs an average of nine tons, while a segment for the exploratory tunnel weighs half that.
Approximately 30% of the excavated material from the Mules 2-3 tunnel boring was used in the segment production. The segments are transported to site by rail.
A consortium of Webuild, Ghella, Cogeis and PAC is operating three TBMs on this lot.
TBM Serena was launched in May 2018 and reached the Brenner Pass in November 2021, after excavating 14km of the exploratory tunnel. TBM Virginia started boring the eastern main tunnel in May 2019 and broke through at the Italian-Austrian border in March 2023. Virginia’s twin, TBM Flavia, was launched in April 2019 and has about 1.5km of the western main tunnel to complete.
