TRIESTE – In the Austrian Sill Gorge–Pfons section, excavation of the main tunnels has been completed, marking another step forward in the construction of the Brenner Base Tunnel.
The milestone was celebrated at the construction site near the Europabrücke, with the participation of Tyrolean Transport Councillor René Zumtobel, the management of BBT SE (Brenner Basistunnel), the contractors and local schools involved in the project. The event comes just over a month after the TBM Lilia completed its section of the route, breaking through into the Navis area on 6 October.
With this milestone, the BBT surpasses 90% of total excavation. Only two TBMs — Wilma and Olga — remain in operation in the Pfons–Brenner section, where fewer than nine kilometres of main tunnel remain to be excavated. Once this threshold is crossed, the project will move into its final phase, dedicated to railway systems installation.
BBT SE board members Umberto Lebruto and Martin Gradnitzer described 2025 as a decisive year, also recalling progress in the exploratory tunnel and the completion of the sections assigned to TBM Flavia in the Mules lot. For Zumtobel, the achievement makes it possible to move on to the next stage, with internal tunnel outfitting works scheduled through to 2032, the planned year of entry into service.
