A milestone has been reached in the construction of the western tube of the Brenna Base Tunnel: the tunnel boring machine named "Wilma" has successfully advanced to the 5km point, marking the completion of nearly 70% of the approximately 7.4km long section.

Simultaneously, construction on the eastern main tube is progressing steadily. Another tunnel boring machine named "Olga" has already completed more than half of its journey and continues to bore northwards. Both machines are 10.37-meter diameter tunnel boring machines and are among the nine machines currently still in operation for the Brenner Base Tunnel project.

The Porr/Marti consortium ARGE H53 BBT, responsible for the H53 Pfons-Brenner section, officially commenced "Wilma's" excavation work on September 18, 2024. The Brenner Base Tunnel, with a total length of 64 km, will connect Innsbruck in Austria with Fortezza in Italy upon completion, becoming one of the world's longest railway tunnels. Passenger trains are designed for a maximum speed of 250 km/h, which is expected to reduce travel time between the two locations from the current approximately 80 minutes to just 25 minutes.