Many South Tyroleans see the BBT as something distant, without any influence on South Tyrolean mobility. Quite the opposite, he explains. Daniel Alfreider. «Personally – he recalls – I have been following this project in various forms since 2004: designer, then client, member of parliament, now councilor. It was even said that this tunnel would become a cathedral in the desert. After the start of the last two tunnel boring machines, Wilma and Olga, in Steinach, more than ever we see ourselves reconfirmed in a vision of European mobility. We have very high traffic on the Brenner corridor. The Romans have already used the Brenner to connect the Mediterranean and Northern Europe and this too is a signal: on Tuesday at the start of the tunnel boring machines, the EU Commission, which finances this project, was present to reiterate that we need a European connection. We are creating Europe here».
What are the implications for South Tyrol, the mobility of South Tyroleans?
For South Tyrol it means creating an alternative to the car, to the heavy traffic on the A22, but it also means creating new capacity for the South Tyroleans who will use regional trains, with the tracks relieved of international traffic, freight, which today naturally occupies many tracks on the historic lines.
The BBT is not separate from the rest…
The Brenner Base Tunnel also means building the Bolzano bypass, because the BBT cannot be seen alone: we need the access routes to Verona, to connect the high-speed line. So I really want to express a special thanks to CEO Gianpiero Strisciuglio and the representatives of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana who were in Steinach on Tuesday. Recently on Renon they confirmed that on the access routes, in particular the Bolzano circulation, they are moving forward, they are planning, and so we would like to be ready to bring the Bolzano station into the European corridor concept and this is a great goal for us. The fact that the last boring machines have started is a crazy achievement, that no one would have ever expected. It also confirms that the railway corridor policies are moving forward and do not stop at Fortezza, but continue to Verona. So they involve the entire North-South axis and naturally also the vision of a connection towards Merano-Bolzano, that is, the western part of the province, therefore Malles-Bolzano. Pusteria will also be connected to the Brenner axis, with the Val di Riga variant. Once these works are completed, it will be possible to travel in Alto Adige without a car on the main corridors, on the main axes. This is the aim we are also pursuing with the provincial plan for sustainable mobility”.
Estimates speak of the BBT coming into operation in 2032. However, the access routes are missing… What are the real timeframes?
Of course it is difficult to say. Today the plans foresee a commissioning at the end of 2032. So also in our provincial plans we are counting on this date. Obviously we are talking about a major project. Including the access routes. On the Fortezza-Ponte Gardena we are well underway, on the second zone, Bolzano and the station, there of course the times are a bit longer… But we want to draw on the co-financing of the European Commission. There we are pushing together with Rfi. We hope that it is not too far away. But the 2032 goal and the works on the Brenner, of course, also push the other projects to move forward and therefore we are trying to support them as much as possible».
Almost no one believed it… In the end, are we starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel?
I have been following the BBT for twenty years. For me, this is an example of continuity. If there hadn’t been people who believed in it even in difficult times, like the president of the Province, but also like Konrad Bergmeister, who was there from the beginning, and many mayors, this project would never, never have been born. So for me, this is an example that if you want, if you believe in it, if you have a vision, you can do it. Because there were times, in 2009-2010, where this project was about to be abandoned. Instead, today it is the last hope to truly be able to create another mobility on the Brenner corridor. The corridor, as I said before, is ancient, 2,000 years old, so for me this is truly Europe that connects. Finally, I think that maybe every now and then we should also reflect on this aspect: how difficult it is to carry forward projects, every reality. Because with drawings, with Power Points, everyone is good, but then when it comes to doing it, it’s a whole other story.
2024-09-22 22:37:28