TRIESTE – The project for the Brenner rail tunnel risks failing to express its full potential because of delays to the access routes in Germany.
According to the Austrian newspaper Tiroler Tageszeitung, work on the connecting sections on the German side is proceeding on a timetable that is incompatible with the entry into operation of the Brenner Base Tunnel. The risk is that the new infrastructure, designed to shift significant shares of freight traffic from road to rail along the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor, will remain underused in its initial phase.
The main issue concerns the capacity of the network north of the pass. Without adequate upgrading of the access lines, the expected benefits in terms of smoother traffic flows and reduced emissions could be limited. This is a critical point with direct implications for the logistics balance between Italy, Austria and Germany, especially for flows crossing the Alpine arc.
In this context, tension also remains high over road traffic. According to the ANSA news agency, environmental associations are calling for restrictions on heavy goods vehicles along the Brenner corridor in Austria to be maintained. The limits, introduced over the years to contain environmental impact and congestion in the Alpine valleys, are still considered necessary in the absence of fully operational rail alternatives.
