Final TBMs of the Brenner Base Tunnel Have Been Launched

The launch of the last two tunnel boring machines of the Brenner Base Tunnel was celebrated with a ceremony on 18 September. “Wilma” and “Olga” will drive the two main northbound tunnels in the Austrian project area over a length of about 7.5 km.

A Total of Nine TBMs Excavate the
Brenner Base Tunnel

The TBMs Wilma and Olga are the last two of the nine tunnel boring machines to be used in the construction of the Brenner Base Tunnel. After inspection at the Herrenknecht factory in Schwanau, Germany, the first components of the two tunnelling machines were delivered to the Austrian construction site H53 Pfons–Brenner in April.

Wilma will drive the west bore of the Brenner Base Tunnel northwards, while her ‚twin sister‘ Olga will drive the east bore in the same direction. Both machines will bore about 7.5 km towards Innsbruck. In the southbound direction, the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) will be used.

The contract value of the largest construction lot on Austrian territory to date is 959 million euros. The duration of this section of the project is estimated at 70.5 months.

Wilma will excavate the west tunnel of the Brenner Base Tunnel northwards, while her “twin sister” Olga will drive the east tunnel in the same direction.

BBT SE and the consortium consisting of Porr Bau GmbH, Marti GmbH Austria and Marti Tunnel AG Switzerland welcomed numerous guests of honour to the TBM start-up ceremony for the H53 Pfons–Brenner construction lot, including BBT SE CEOs Martin Gradnitzer and Gilberto Cardola; Paloma Aba Garrote, European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA); Philippe Chantraine, EU Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE); Anton Mattle, Governor of Tyrol; Arno Kompatscher, Governor of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano; Judith Engel, CEO of ÖBB Infrastruktur AG and Daniela Lezzi, CEO of Tunnel Ferroviario del Brennero (TFB).

Segmental Lining

Unlike the neighbouring H41 Sillschlucht –Pfons construction lot, the H53 Pfons–Brenner construction lot does not allow the segments to be produced on site due to lack of space. However, transporting the segments by rail minimises the environmental impact, as it avoids around 40 000 truck transports. The first segments arrived at the construction site at the beginning of July 2024. Approximately 54 000 segments, manufactured at the Max Bögl plant in Senghenthal, Bavaria, will be installed in the two main tunnels as the two TBMs advance.

(You can read more on this topic in the report starting on page 18)