Strabag and Salini Impregilo continue to grow longest rail tunnel
By Sarah McCay09 July 2014
The Salini Impregilo and Strabag involvement in the construction of the Brenner Base Tunnel through the Alps continues, as the contractors are awarded another contract on the project – this time for an underpass beneath the Isarco River at the southern segment.
Valued at €300 million, the Isarco underpass win follows a contract from the Austrian side of the tunnel, awarded to Salini Impregilo and Strabag in April and worth €380 million.
The Isarco River underpass is the final segment of the Brenner Base Tunnel project, which at 64km is the longest underground railway connection in the world and the primary element of a new railway line that will connect Munich, Germany, and Verona, Italy.
The underpass project will include civil works for the two main tunnels with a total length of 4.3km, as well as two interconnecting tunnels with a total length of 2.3km that connect with the existing railway line.
The project is not without challenges, as both the main tunnels and the interconnecting tunnels will pass with minimal leeway beneath the Isarco River, A22 motorway, SS12 state motorway and the Verona-Brenner railway line.
Work is scheduled to begin in the second half of this year and will take eight years to complete.
