While Italy is entering the final countdown to complete the excavation of the Brenner Base Tunnel, with only 440 metres remaining out of nearly 40 kilometres of main tunnels as of 24 February 2025, Germany has delivered a setback to the project concerning the access route on German territory leading to the new cross-border tunnel. In the Landtag, the Bavarian parliamentary assembly, a cross-party political coalition has rejected the project for the new railway line, as reported by the Innsbruck-based daily Tiroler Tageszeitung.
The wording adopted is ambiguous, stating that the new line must "be compatible with the needs of the citizens," yet given the opposition previously expressed towards the project, this declaration sounds like a death knell. More importantly, it sends a clear signal to the German Bundestag, which was due to decide shortly on the construction of the new 54-kilometre route proposed by Deutsche Bahn between Munich and Kufstein at an estimated cost of €8.7 billion. Beyond causing delays, Bavaria's opposition will also drive up construction costs. According to the Tyrolean newspaper, discussions on the matter are unlikely to resume before 2050, undermining at least in part the potential of the new cross-border corridor, which fundamentally relies on the Brenner Base Tunnel.
In any case, the northern access route to the tunnel, under Germany's responsibility, has never enjoyed good fortune. After years of painstaking planning, Austria and Germany had identified the general route for the new high-capacity railway along their border areas in 2021, and in 2022, Deutsche Bahn initiated preliminary designs for an alternative alignment aimed at strengthening the Rosenheim junction.
According to the proposed plans, the southernmost section of the new railway from the German area of Rosenheim would connect with the easternmost portion of Austria's Inn Valley. The selected route, almost entirely within Germany, includes a series of tunnels covering about 60% of its length. The alternative route would start in Ostermünchen, Germany, north of Rosenheim, and extend to Schaftenau in Austria, the northern portal of the construction sites already underway. As if that were not enough, the entire section between Munich and Rosenheim remains unaddressed, facing even greater uncertainties.
Once again, Germany appears distinctly lukewarm about the new Brenner corridor project, viewing it as an investment too peripheral in relation to a national railway network that is already absorbing significant economic resources for its enhancement and modernisation after years of relative neglect. This stands in stark contrast to Austria and Italy, which are diligently fulfilling their commitments.
Having completed the Innsbruck freight bypass in 1994, Austrian rail operator ÖBB opened the first 40-kilometre section in the lower Inn Valley in 2012, extending from the northern entrance of the Innsbruck bypass to Radfeld-Kundl, just south of Wörgl. In 2023, work commenced on the next section between Radfeld and Schaftenau, which is only a few kilometres from Kufstein, near the Austrian-German border. Meanwhile, Italy has moved from planning to construction with the priority variant between Fortezza, the southern portal of the base tunnel, and Ponte Gardena.
Piermario Curti Sacchi
