A consortium led by Astaldi has been awarded a €1 billion contract to deliver the Italian side of the Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT).
The consortium, which also includes Ghella, Oberosler, Cogeis and CAP, will be responsible for all tunnelling works on the Italian section of the tunnel.
The contract includes the construction of an exploratory tunnel as well as the two main 23-kilometre railway tunnels. Announcing the contract award, Astaldi said construction would involve both the use of tunnel boring machines (TBMs) and traditional techniques.
Work is expected to take seven years to complete.
The €8.8 billion BBT is at the centre of the 2,200 kilometre Berlin – Palermo railway. The total length of the tunnel from Innsbruck to Fortezza will be 64 kilometres, exceeding the length the Gotthard Base Tunnel.
