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Brenner base tunnel breakthrough links Austria and Italy underground

· Business AUTITA

The two main bores of the Brenner Base Tunnel have been linked at the Austria–Italy border, completing excavation of the entire 230-kilometre tunnel system beneath the Alps.

The breakthrough occurred on Tuesday, 28 July 2026, roughly 1,400 metres below the Brenner Pass, capping more than a decade of drilling and blasting that began in 2015. Once operational, the rail link is expected to cut journey times between Munich and Verona by about two hours, to three and a half hours.

The milestone comes amid growing local tension over heavy road freight through the Alpine corridor. In May 2026, protesters blockaded the Brenner route in Tyrol to highlight traffic congestion, a demonstration organised by Karl Mühlsteiger, mayor of the Austrian municipality of Gries am Brenner. The tunnel is currently scheduled to enter service in 2032.

Covered by 5 outlets across 2 countries

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The reporting this story is built on

handelsblatt.com DEU Verkehr: Meilenstein beim Brennerbasistunnel - Durchschlag geschafftzeit.de DEU Brennerbasistunnel: Durchbruch der Tunnelröhren am Brenner zwischen Italien und Österreichn-tv.de DEU Wichtiger Meilenstein erreicht: Brenner-Arbeiter schaffen Durchbruch zwischen Österreich und Italien
Additional coverage

Others reporting the same event

focus.de DEU Österreich und Italien, vereint unter den Alpen: Der 64 Kilometer lange Eisenbahntunnel verkürzt die Überquerung des Brennerpasses auf 25 Minutenkurier.at AUT Brennerbasistunnel: Haupttunnel an Grenze durchbrochen

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