At the final breakthrough of the Brenner Tunnel, one of Europe’s most important infrastructure projects, the Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, attended alongside the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, and the Chancellor of Austria, Christian Stocker.
This is one of the most pivotal projects, linking Austria with Italy, and of pan-European interest.
At the Austria–Italy border, the Commissioner, the Prime Minister, and the Chancellor pressed the red button to bring down the last section of the tunnel, joining the two sides. This project is the largest railway tunnel in the world and one of the largest infrastructure undertakings ever funded by the EU in the transport sector. It is also the first truly modern cross-border railway tunnel of the 21st century. The tunnel is a key structural element of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and the Scandinavian–Mediterranean Corridor.
This is a project with a long history: Austria and Italy committed to building the “Brenner Base Tunnel” 22 years ago, and the European Union pledged to finance it 18 years ago. Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas made it an absolute priority from the start of his mandate, and now the project enters its final phase, with completion scheduled for the end of 2032.
Speaking about the many years of effort to launch the project, Mr. Tzitzikostas emphasized:
“In a project as ambitious and vast as this, obstacles were inevitable. There were technical challenges, unforeseen geological barriers, as well as the difficulty of coordinating different legal systems and procedures. And yet, all obstacles were overcome – and that makes this achievement even greater. Today, the two sides of the tunnel are joined. And with them, Europeans are united as well. We did it.”
Mr. Tzitzikostas praised the determination, dedication, and willingness to cooperate shown by Ms. Meloni and Mr. Stocker, who supported his efforts to move the project forward quickly, underscoring its strategic importance for all of Europe.
“But this day also belongs to the workers – the hundreds of women and men from all over Europe who applied their expertise and worked tirelessly to bring us to this great day. For me, the ‘Brenner Base Tunnel’ embodies the very essence of EU infrastructure and transport policy. It is about cross-border connectivity, competitiveness, modernization, and sustainability. It is about the European vision, built on tangible benefits for local communities,” the Commissioner stressed.
Mr. Tzitzikostas outlined the benefits of this major infrastructure:
Strengthening links between Europe’s major ports and industrial centers.
Significant reduction in travel times for passengers. For example: Munich–Verona will take 2.5 hours instead of 5.5 today, Munich–Rome will be 5.5 hours, and Munich–Milan just 3.5 hours.
Professionals and tourists will benefit, while new opportunities will be created for destinations that are currently less accessible or even unknown.
For freight transport, the change will be even more substantial: once the new line is operational, a freight journey that currently takes nearly 12 hours will take only 6.
Larger and heavier freight trains will move faster and more efficiently.
Rail will become more attractive compared to road transport, leading to greater preference by logistics companies and local residents.
Improved air quality, noise reduction, and decreased air pollution.
“This is Europe in action, delivering solutions and improving people’s quality of life. As European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, I am proud that the EU decided to co-finance this project. To date, we have invested more than €2.8 billion in the construction of the tunnel and its access routes. Our commitment to cross-border transport links continues. In the European Commission’s proposal for the next EU budget, resources for infrastructure and transport have doubled, from €25.8 billion to €51.5 billion, two-thirds of which will go to major cross-border projects in the Trans-European Transport Network. This clearly demonstrates our determination to complete what we started and to provide Europe with the infrastructure it needs for the decades ahead,” Mr. Tzitzikostas said.
After the tunnel’s final breakthrough ceremony, the Commissioner and the Chancellor visited the tunnel at the breakthrough site, where they spoke with engineers and workers, who briefed them on the progress of construction.
