Good news, relatively speaking, for the reopening and restoration of operations along the international Frejus line between Italy and France. The major risk of severe damage to the Brèche tunnel seems to have been averted. Detailed analyses have confirmed that the 19th-century tunnel was not impacted by the 15,000 cubic meters of rocks and debris that fell from the cliff in the French town of La Praz. This information about the progress of restoration work comes from the Comité pour la Transalpine, an association of institutional and entrepreneurial supporters of the new Turin-Lyon railway line, actively promoting this investment and ensuring there are no setbacks or missteps.
The historic railway line between Italy and France has been interrupted following the landslide on August 27, 2023, in the Maurienne region. Restoration work is ongoing, with the goal, barring unforeseen events, of reopening by autumn 2024. However, the conditions of the Brèche tunnel remained uncertain, difficult to verify before the removal of a significant portion of the debris. It now appears that the major concern—the reconstruction of the tunnel—has been definitively averted.
There are still several steps to be taken before rail traffic can be restored. Teams of technicians from the network operator, SNCF Réseau, and the Savoie Department are working to clear tons of still unstable rocks, secure the mountainous section, and remove debris. For obvious safety reasons, this is an essential requirement to allow subsequent interventions at the base of the cliff and thus consolidate the entire route.
Both in France and Italy, an intense debate immediately arose about the restoration timeline, with French authorities accused of excessive slowness, if not lack of commitment and disinterest. The resources employed in recent months seem to disprove these claims. Every useful solution has been adopted, even trying to use powerful water jets from helicopters, deploying remote-controlled machines for cleaning the railway tunnel to avoid safety risks for operators, using special cranes, and employing technicians who worked from above, secured by ropes. Once the cleanup operations are completed, SNCF Réseau will need to restore the entire railway infrastructure.
Meanwhile, work on the cross-border section of the new Turin-Lyon railway, which includes the Moncenisio base tunnel, is proceeding according to the established schedule. All excavation work, divided into four lots, has been contracted out both in France and Italy, with ten operational construction sites. By early June 2024, 37 kilometers of tunnels had been excavated, including 13.5 kilometers of the base tunnel.
Piermario Curti Sacchi
