Wilma will drive the western tube of the Brenner Base Tunnel towards the north, while her “twin sister” Olga will drive the eastern tube in the same direction. Both tunnel boring machines will drive a distance of around 7.5 km towards Innsbruck. The celebrations took place in the St. Jodok emergency stop.
The construction of tunnel boring machines is a science in itself. After factory acceptance by the manufacturer, each machine is transported to the construction site. The assembly of these “giant drills” is challenging and takes place in a specially made cavern up to 20 meters high. A team of experienced service specialists, including technicians, electricians, locksmiths, welders, surveyors and hydraulicians, works in shifts around the clock. The assembly of the TBM until commissioning takes up to 15 months. With the so-called “turning ceremony” that took place today, the “Factory in the Mountain” is officially said goodbye and then sets off on its kilometer-long journey through the mountains.
BBT SE and the ARGE, consisting of Porr Bau GmbH, Marti GmbH Austria and Marti Tunnel AG Switzerland, today welcomed numerous guests of honor to the TBM turning ceremony in construction lot H53 Pfons-Brenner, the largest construction lot in the Austrian project area.
Board members of BBT SE Martin Gradnitzer and Gilberto Cardola
No fewer than seven tunnel boring machines have already dug through this mountain and today we are proud to celebrate the start of the last two. The commissioning of the project of the century is our main goal, and we are getting closer and closer to this goal little by little. Just yesterday the breakthrough of a main tunnel between the Sillschlucht – Pfons and the Sillschlucht construction sites took place. A big thank you and heartfelt congratulations goes not only to the BBT SE team, but also to the workers who work on our construction sites every day.”
Paloma Aba Garrote, European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and Environment (CINEA)
“It is an honor for me to celebrate today the start of the advance of the two tunnel boring machines (TBM) named Wilma and Olga for the construction of the Brenner Base Tunnel. The BBT is at the heart of European transport policy, which aims to create a consistent, efficient and sustainable transport network for our citizens. The European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and Environment (CINEA) has financially supported the project from the beginning under the TEN-T and CEF-Transport programs with a total of 2.3 billion Ꞓ over 15 years. The completion of the Brenner Base Tunnel is our gift to the next generation of European citizens and our contribution to improving their quality of life.”
Magda Kopczyńska, Director General of the EU Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE)
“The start of construction work in the Pfons-Brenner construction lot is an important milestone for the completion of the Brenner Base Tunnel, one of the largest infrastructure projects in Europe and an important section of the trans-European transport network. I wish Wilma and Olga, the two tunnel boring machines entering the BBT and all the workers safe and rapid progress. “The EU remains committed to supporting this project, which is crucial both for local people and for the connection between southern and central Europe.”
Philippe Chantraine, EU Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE)
„It is a great pleasure and honor for me, as a representative of the European Commission and our coordinator Pat Cox, to celebrate the launch of the two tunnel boring machines Wilma and Olga with you here today. Like the previous speaker, on behalf of the European Commission, I would like to expressly thank everyone involved in the construction of the BBT. The BBT is a symbol of a united Europe in which the regions, the states and the EU cooperate for the benefit of the citizens. I wish the two TBMs Wilma and Olga as well as everyone involved here on Lot H53 Pfons-Brenner that the work is carried out quickly and, above all, safely. The European Commission will continue to stand by you.”
Anton Mattle, Governor of Tyrol
“The Brenner Base Tunnel is a bright spot in European transport policy and one of the central infrastructure projects for the shift to rail. That’s why I congratulate everyone involved on the progress and thank everyone who is working tirelessly on the construction of Europe’s largest infrastructure project. The BBT can develop its full effect when the necessary access routes north and south of Tyrol are completed. A sustainable perspective is needed to relieve pressure on the Brenner corridor. With the implementation of the BBT, Tyrol has set itself the long-term goal of effectively shifting freight transport to rail. In rail transport you always come across national hurdles, which is why we remain an advocate of a real European railway area with the Brenner Base Tunnel as the heart of the north-south connection.
Arno Kompatscher, Governor of South Tyrol
“With the commissioning of the last two tunnel boring machines, we are a big step closer to the goal of a direct and faster connection between Austria and Italy. The Brenner Base Tunnel will bring us closer together within the Euregio and will also revolutionize local passenger transport. This project once again makes it clear that cross-border cooperation in the field of mobility and transport is the only right path to a sustainable future.”
Judith Engel, CEO of ÖBB Infrastructure AG, delivered a video message
“ÖBB offers top quality in the Austrian rail network. Today we are building the infrastructure for the rail transport of tomorrow. At the end of 2025, 130 kilometers of new Koralmbahn line – including 33 kilometers of the Koralm Tunnel – will go into operation. We expect the Semmering Base Tunnel to be commissioned in 2030. The Brenner Base Tunnel, as the heart of the Brenner railway axis, will complete the trans-Alpine rail transport offering at the beginning of 2032. We congratulate our colleagues at BBT SE on the project progress.”
Daniela Lezzi, Executive Director Tunnel Ferroviario del Brennero (TFB)
“The Brenner Base Tunnel, which is very important in Europe, is intended to unite the countries and promote sustainable, safe and efficient mobility. It is a great pleasure for the RFI to follow the project progress, especially as it is also pushing ahead with the expansion of the Fortezza-Verona route, an important infrastructure measure for which around EUR 3 billion has already been made available and which is partly co-financed by the European Union becomes. And finally, I would also like to emphasize how important the collaboration with the project company BBT SE is. Thanks to these synergies, it was possible and will continue to be possible in the future to achieve important goals, such as those of today, in order to be able to hand over this unique infrastructure to Austria and Italy and Europe in general.”