Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Italy, Austria, Agree on Railway Tunnel through Brenner Pass in Alps

The ANNOTICO Report

Now don't get this confused with my Report on June 16 where Italy and Switzerland opened the Loetschberg Tunnel on the route from Berne to Visp, and the world's longest overland tunnel, a 21-mile-long rail link under the Alps, that was dug parallel to an even more ambitious project - the 36-mile Gotthard Tunnel, which will be the world's longest when it is completed in 2017.

The Brenner Tunnel between Italy and Austria, will have a length of about 39 miles, including a detour around the Austrian city of Innsbruck and will link the north of the continent to its Mediterranean south. The tunnel will cost  6 billion Euro, with completion due in 2022

In both cases, Italy benefits by having better transportation links to Middle and Eastern Europe for both Imports and Exports, while Switzerland and Austria get huge amounts of traffic off their narrow mountain roads, to permit villagers from being over run. Notice that they are both RAIL tunnels, facilitating COMMERCE, but keeping Tourists on the roads.

Austria, Italy Agree on Funding for Railway Tunnel through Alps

The International Herald Tribune

The Associated Press

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

VIENNA, Austria: Austria and Italy agreed Tuesday to each pay a third of the construction costs for a railway tunnel through the Alps.

The agreement was included in a memorandum of understanding signed by the Austrian transportation minister, Werner Faymann, and his Italian counterpart, Antonio Di Pietro. The memorandum also foresees 2022 as a completion date.

The Brenner Base Tunnel will have a length of about 56 kilometers (35 miles) or 62 kilometers (39 miles) including a detour around the Austrian city of Innsbruck and will link the north of the continent to its Mediterranean south.

Anticipated costs, excluding financing charges and inflation, are set at around ?6 billion (US$8.2 billion). A groundbreaking ceremony took place in June 2006.

The tunnel would reduce travel times between Innsbruck and Bolzano, Italy, from two hours to 50 minutes, according to information provided by Austria's transportation ministry.

It was hoped the European Union would cover the remaining third of the construction costs.

The project was approved in part to reduce vehicular traffic over the Brenner Pass connecting Austria and Italy through the Alps.

In a statement, Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer described Tuesday's development as "a good step forward for environmental protection, Austria and Europe."

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/10/

europe/EU-GEN-Austria-Italy-Tunnel.php

The ANNOTICO Reports Can be Viewed (and are Archived) on:

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Blog: http://AnnoticoReport.com

Annotico Email: annotico@earthlink.net