the megatunnel that France and Italy are building under the Alps

Under the Alps, between France and Italy, one of the largest railway tunnels in history is being excavated. After decades on the table, this mega-construction that involves heavy machinery and thousands of workers began five years ago to materialize the most ambitious cross-border infrastructure work that Europe has in its hands right now. Because it is not just connecting two states, it will be the heart of the Mediterranean Corridor of the trans-European transport network to link southern Europe from east to west.

The tunnel. The centerpiece of that corridor is the Mont Cenis base tunnel, which will be one of the longest in the world: 115 kilometers but with small print. Thus, it is made up of two parallel single-track railway tubes, each of them 57.5 kilometers long. In the main tunnel there will be In addition, four access points, 204 security branches and an underground logistics network with ventilation shafts.

When in operation, the trains will cross the Alps on a virtually flat track, eliminating the current gradients that require reductions in speed and load. These tunnels join the existing railway infrastructure in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in France and in Sousse for Italy. Currently there are more than 3,300 workers on site, with a predicted peak of 4,000 in the entire cross-border section. At the moment, in February of this year in the French part had already been excavated 29% of the total.

Why is it important. That the train trip between both countries is going to be faster and more comfortable is a reality: as details the Quaderno 11 dell’Osservatorio: The Paris-Milan journey will go from the current seven hours to around four and a half hours, so the train wins points over the plane on a tremendously busy route. But the big advantage is in freight logistics: The Alps force a good part of the trade between northern and southern Europe to go by road, with all the environmental cost and congestion that this implies.

Context. The history of this tunnel is long and eventful. The occurrence dates back to the 90s, but it has been delayed for decades due to political issues, especially from Italy. In 2021 was when the project was finally unlocked with the signing of the contracts on the French side. Of course, the European Court of Auditors warned at the beginning of the year that the goal of having it ready before 2030 will not happen. In fact, the project promoter points out to 2033 as the date of opening to traffic. More delays.

In figures. Some of the data on which the project moves:

• Cost of the section: 11.1 billion euros, 30% more than the initial estimate of 2015. The financing is distributed: 40% European Union, 35% Italy, 25% France.
• Reduction in time: Milan-Paris in 4 hours 30 minutes, compared to the current almost seven hours. Turin-Lyon will go from 3h 47 minutes to 1h 47 minutes. Turin-Paris: about 4 hours, almost an hour and a half less.
• 700,000 fewer trucks on the road per year according to TELTwhich translates into 3 million tons of less carbon dioxide annually.

In detail. The design, construction and management of the project is carried out by TELT (Tunnel Euralpin Lyon Turin), a company created expressly for this project and made up of 50% by the Italian State through Ferrovie dello Stato and 50% by the French State. Of course, in the execution there is a consortium of large European companies, among them the German Herrenknecht, an institution in tunnel boring machinery.

For excavation, two methods are combined: for long sections, the huge TBMs of the German company180 meters long and 10.4 meters in diameter, 2,300 tons in weight and 8,100 kW in power. For access sections and sections with complex geology, the traditional drill and blast method is used.

Yes, but. The first issue has already reared its head in the “In figures” section: the cost is skyrocketing and threatens to continue doing so (without going any further, the neighboring Brenner tunnel increase 40% compared to initial estimates). The environmental impact is also on the table: environmental groups They have been warning for years of damage to the alpine ecosystem and some springs in the area They have already started to dry for the works. Finally, the project has received criticism because rail and road traffic in the corridor was declining when it was approved, calling into question the future profitability of the investment.

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Cover | TELT and Nellia Kurme