Fast Link from Munich to Italy: Advancements on the Brenner Route nears completion
The Brenner Base Tunnel, a significant European transport project, is being created at the border pass at the Brenner. This 55-kilometer railway connection, intended to significantly shorten rail journeys between Munich and northern Italy, has been the subject of heated debate in recent years.
The Federal Ministry of Transport in Germany has stated that there will not be enough funding for new and expansion projects on the railway in the coming years. This includes the access route in Bavaria for the full use of the Brenner route, which needs expansion. However, no binding plan for the access route in the Inn valley exists on the German side.
One of the contentious issues is the potential relocation of the connection point at Kirnstein. Local politicians and citizen initiatives oppose an additional route in the Inn valley, while the railway rejects the relocation as incompatible with safety regulations. Heated debate is ongoing regarding the number of kilometers to run underground and the potential relocation of the connection point at Kirnstein.
Italy has filed a lawsuit against Austria at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) regarding the Brenner route truck transit dispute. Austria has been allowing trucks to pass through only in a controlled manner on certain days on the Brenner route, resulting in long traffic jams in Bavaria.
The planned opening of the Brenner Base Tunnel in 2032 is expected to relieve the "bottleneck" on the road route over the Brenner. The access route expansion is crucial for the full utilisation of the tunnel, but lack of a binding plan on the German side has caused concern.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the breakthrough of the tunnel as a "major step." The breakthrough of the two main tubes of the Brenner Base Tunnel is scheduled for next year.
The road connection on the Brenner route has been overloaded for years, making the Brenner route one of the most important north-south connections over the Alps. With the Brenner Base Tunnel, it is hoped that the increased rail capacity will reduce the reliance on road transport and alleviate the pressure on the overloaded road connection.
As of 2025, the responsible person for the Federal Ministry of Transport in Germany, who will be in charge of binding planning for the access route in the Inn valley in connection with the full use of the Brenner route, is Federal Minister of Transport Patrick Schnieder (CDU). The resolution of these issues will be crucial for the successful completion and implementation of the Brenner Base Tunnel project.
