A tunnel near a mile under the Alps will transform travel from the heart of Europe in Italy

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker were on site for the ceremonial breakthrough of the last meter of rock to open the first tunnel under the Brenner pass, a key junction in a railway project of the EU which one day from Helsinki in Palermo.

“In the end, there is no project that is too important to be discussed, there is no project too big for us to bet,” said Meloni to a ceremony.

Brenner’s basic tunnel, which will be the longest underground rail tunnel in the world once completed, is one of the four key infrastructure projects that promise to reshape the way Italians travel and ship goods in the early 2030s, while bringing Europe together.

The tunnels will reduce the journeys between Verona and Munich from more than half to 2 hours and a half, between Milan and Paris at least 30% at 4½ hours and put the Port City of Genoa to the journey distance of finance and the capital of Italy fashion – considerably refanting the transit card in Europe.

The most daring and disputed projects of all, the Straits of Messina Bridge recently approved, will finally link the Italian continent to Sicily – a project envisaged for the first time by the former Romans and long delayed by modern Italians.

The tunnel and bridges projects mark the first significant upgrade to the Italian rail system since the launch of the Rome-Milan high-speed rail line were launched in 2008. It considerably reduced the journey time between the financial and political centers of Italy, actually killing the route of airlines in Rome-Milan. The rail line can now be traveled as little as three hours.

Current projects also aim to reduce truck traffic on highways – with the largest impact provided on the Brenner pass, which is crossed by more than 2.5 million trucks per year, making it one of the most frequented alpine roads in Europe and a crucial north -south bond, providing Italian car components and small machines to the North. Brenner’s basic tunnel aims to pass to half the high road traffic to the rail.

Officials also praised environmental benefits during Thursday’s ceremony.

By reducing the congestion of the roads, “the air quality will improve, the noise decreases and the C02 emissions will fall,” said Tzitzikostas Apostolos, European commissioner for transport and sustainable tourism.

While continuing these major projects, the Italian rail network has 40 other current strategic projects, many of which have financed 25 billion euros (almost $ 30 billion) in pandemic recovery funds from the European Union. They include a high -speed line between Naples and Bari on the heel of the Italian boot.

These are the four main infrastructure projects that will bring Italian and European centers closer:

Bas Brenner Tunnel

The Brenner’s basic tunnel, which will be the longest underground rail tunnel in the world, will take place for 55 kilometers (34 miles) between the tulfes, Austria and Fortezza, Italy, extending to 64 kilometers (almost 40 miles) with existing tunnels of Tulfes in Innsbruck.

The project, which would cost around 8.8 billion euros (nearly $ 10.5 billion), is expected to be completed by 2031 with the first train that crossed it in 2032. The project, launched in 2007, is co -financed by Italy, Austria and the EU.

Tortona-Genoa Rail line at high speed

A high -speed train line of 53 kilometers (33 miles) connecting the port city of Genoa to Tortona in Piedmont, with links with Milan, includes 37 kilometers (23 kilometers) of tunnels.

One of them measures 27 kilometers (over 16 and a half) long. It aims to move the transport of goods from the Ligurian port cities of Genoa, Spezia and Savona to northern Europe from the road to rail from next year, going to 50% by 2050.

The journey time by train between Milan and Genoa will be reduced to approximately an hour of more than 1 and a half months. The cost is 8.5 billion euros ($ 10 billion) and the tunnels are 90%complete. Launched in 2012, the project was slowed down by the difficult geology of the Apennine chain, including the discovery of natural asbestos.

Lyon-Turin

The high-speed rail tunnel of 11 billion euros ($ 13 billion) covers more than 65 kilometers (40 miles) with 57½ kilometers (nearly 36 miles) of the base Tunnel of Mont Cenis under the ground of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, France and Susa, Italy.

It should be completed around 2033. The project aims to withdraw more than a million vehicles from heavy roads in the Western Alps between France and Italy. The travel time of passengers between Paris, the second largest metropolitan region in Europe, and Milan, the third largest metropolitan region in Europe, will be reduced to 4½ hours from 6½ to 7 and a half.

The project, launched in 2007, was considerably slowed down by environmental demonstrations on the Italian side. He is co -financed by France, Italy and the EU.

Strait by Messina Bridge

The 13.5 billion euro ($ 16.5 billion ($ 16.5 billion) project of the Messina bridge project will accelerate travel between the Italian continent and Sicily and will incorporate rail connections to Palermo and Catania, which are being upgraded.

The single bridge itself will extend from Messina, Sicily, to Villa San Giovanni, in Calabria, with six car tracks and two railway lines. The government awaits the final approval of the Audits Court to launch preliminary work. It should be completed by 2032.

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