Tunneling Milestone Reached on World’s Longest Underground Rail Link Project
(UC) — The first major milestone has been reached during construction of the world’s longest underground rail link.
The project consists of twin tunnels stretching 64 kilometers (40 miles) long connecting Innsbruck, Austria, to Fortezza, Italy in what is the largest European railway infrastructure project ever built.
Early in July, the first decisive breakthough marked the completion of the 16.7 km (10.4-mile) exploratory tunnel.
Nicknamed ‘Gunther’ after Tyrolean governor Günther Platter, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) manufactured by Herrenknecht, broke through on the Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT) “with pinpoint accuracy” according to Anton Ertl, the construction site manager.
The project is being run by the ARGE Tulfes-Pfons (ATP) consortium consisting of Austria's STRABAG AG and Italian contractor »webuild« (formerly Salini-Impregilo).
‘Gunther’ is one of six total tunnel boring machines ordered for the project.
For more information on the project, visit the Herrenknecht website.
Related News
From Archive
- Fatal trench collapse halts sewer construction in Massachusetts; two workers hospitalized
- Alaska LNG pipeline could require 7,000 workers at peak construction, developers say
- Ohio trench collapse kills one worker, injures two during pipe installation
- Elon Musk's Boring Co. fined for dumping drilling waste into Vegas sewer system
- $1.4 billion Midwest pipeline expansion to move more Canadian oil to U.S. Gulf
- Glenfarne Alaska LNG targets late-2026 construction start for 807-mile pipeline project
- Fatal trench collapse halts sewer construction in Massachusetts; two workers hospitalized
- Massive water line failure leaves majority of Waterbury without service
- Infrastructure failure releases 100,000 gallons of wastewater in Houston; repairs ongoing
- Pennsylvania American Water launches interactive map to identify, replace lead water service lines
Comments