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Brenner Base Tunnel: Europe’s Alpine Rail Megaproject Nears Completion at £7 Billion Investment

The Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT), poised to become the longest underground railway connection in the world, represents one of Europe’s most ambitious cross-border transport infrastructure ... More Information

Celebrations for the completion of the main tunnel excavations in Lot H41 Gola del Sill–Pfons

On November 11, a celebration was held at the segment factory of the BBT Gola del Sill–Pfons construction site to mark the completion of the main tunnel excavation works for the Austrian Lot ... More Information

BBT - TBM Lilia Successfully Completes Excavation of the Eastern Main Tunnel

BBT - TBM Lilia Successfully Completes Excavation of the Eastern Main Tunnel

With the breakthrough achieved by TBM Lilia on October 6 at 12:40 p.m. in the municipality of Navis (Wipptal), the eastern main tunnel of construction lot H41 Sill Gorge–Pfons in the BBT ... More Information

BBT - Completed first tunnel between Italy and Austria in Brenner Base Tunnel

BBT - Completed first tunnel between Italy and Austria in Brenner Base Tunnel

First cross-border underground connection in the Brenner Base Tunnel project. Representatives of the European Commission and institutional leaders from Italy and Austria attended the ceremony. ... More Information

First breakthrough with TBM in a main tunnel in Austria for BBT

First breakthrough with TBM in a main tunnel in Austria for BBT

TBM Ida has completed the excavation of the 8.4 km H41 Sill Gorge-Pfons section of the Brenner Base Tunnel, reaching its destination in the municipality of Navis (Wipptal), near an existing ... More Information

Production of segments completed in Ahrental for the Austrian H41 construction site of the Brenner Base Tunnel

Production of segments completed in Ahrental for the Austrian H41 construction site of the Brenner Base Tunnel

On Saturday 19 July, production of the precast concrete segments used by the TBMs for the final lining of the line tunnels were completed at the Ahrental plant located  near the Austrian H41 ... More Information

A new breakthrough in one of the two main tunnels on the Austrian side of the project

A new milestone in the BBT project, on May 20th , a break through was made in the western main tunnel between the two lots H41 Sill Gorge-Pfons and H21 Sill Gorge.  In the western main tunnel ... More Information

Pfons-Brenner construction lot: Breakthrough in the east main tunnel

A new milestone has been reached for the H53 Pfons-Brenner construction lot in the Austrian part of the BBT project, in the geologically challenging area of Hochstegen. On the 08/05/2025 a ... More Information

BBT - TBM Excavation Completed on the Italian Side

BBT - TBM Excavation Completed on the Italian Side

Flavia, the last Italian TBM for the BBT project, has reached the Brenner Pass, completing the excavation of the west main tunnel in lot H61 Mules. This marks the end of mechanized excavation on the ... More Information

TBM Lilia Crosses Werner Fault Zone, Reaches 6 km Milestone on BBT Project

Tunnel boring machine (TBM) Lilia has reached a major milestone in the construction of the Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT), having successfully crossed the Werner fault zone and completed 6 kilometers of ... More Information

First kilometre for Wilma, the Austrian TBM advancing north

First kilometre for Wilma, the Austrian TBM advancing north

While Flavia is only 300 m from its final destination and Ida has already passed the Werner fault zone, the TBM Wilma reached its first kilometre of excavation at 10:40 on Sunday 2 March after ... More Information

BBT - TBM Flavia is getting closer to its goal

The TBM Flavia, length 200 m and weight 2750 t - launched in April 2019 – which has advanced with a driving power of 4200 kW under a rock cover of over 1200 m. The TBM has now completed the ... More Information

TBM Breakthrough for the parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel

TBM Breakthrough for the parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel

The Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel Project at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel reached a significant milestone on Monday, January 27, 2025 when the Herrenknecht TBM Chessie - measuring 13.26 m (43.5 ... More Information

BBT - New milestones for TBM Ida

BBT - New milestones for TBM Ida

Since May and June of 2023, the two TBMs Lilia and Ida have been working southwards on the Austrian H41 Sill Gorge-Pfons construction site of the BBT project. The excavation work is being ... More Information

North portal completed for BBT

North portal completed for BBT

As of December 2024, the Sill Gorge construction lot, which houses the north portal of the Brenner Base Tunnel, is officially completed.  There are already numerous infrastructures in the ... More Information

Final Stretch of TBM Flavia’s Journey: Last Kilometre of Excavation in the Western Main Tunnel

TBM Flavia, a colossal tunnel boring machine measuring 200 meters in length, weighing 2,750 tons, and powered by 4,200 kW, is nearing the completion of its excavation journey. Launched in April 2019 ... More Information

BBT - First breakthrough in the main Brenner Base tunnel in Austrian area

The ceremony has been held for the last breakthrough of the first main tunnel in the Austrian territory of the Brenner Base Tunnel. The breakthrough is at the Sill Gorge site, between lots H21 Sill ... More Information

BBT - Launch of the Wilma and Olga TBMs

The launch of the Wilma and Olga TBMs will take place on Wednesday 18th  September 2024 at the BBT H53 Pfons-Brenner construction site.  The first components of the two TBMs - after ... More Information

TBM Ida completes 4 Km of the westbound tube of the Brenner Base Tunnel, H41 Lot

On 22 July, the TBM Ida celebrated the excavation of the first 4 km - out of its total 8.4 km - of the westbound line tunnel to the south at the Austrian H41 Sill-Pfons Gorge construction site. The ... More Information

June updates for BBT

Press Release - H53 Pfons-Brenner construction site: the first segments reach the construction site The two TBMs Wilma and Olga - which from September 2024 will dig and line the twin tube 7.5km ... More Information

Italy/Trentino-South Tyrol – Work has started on the southern entrance to the Trento railway bypass

Work continues on the construction of 13 km (Lot 3A) of the new railway line - almost entirely underground – linking to the future Brenner Base Tunnel. The new infrastructure will begin from ... More Information

Brenner Base Tunnel update

Brenner Base Tunnel update

Every year BBT organises an Open Day for the Brenner Base Tunnel project. They take place at the Austrian construction site H41 Sill-Pfons Gorge, and at the construction site of the Eisack ... More Information

BBT - TBM Ida reaches first 3 km of excavation for Lot H41 Sill-Pfons Gorge

On 14 May 2024  the TBM Ida, launched back in June 2023, reached its first 3 km of excavation towards the south, in the West line tunnel, advancing an average of 13 m/day and extracting ... More Information

TBM Wilma is ready for the Brenner Base Tunnel

TBM Wilma is ready for the Brenner Base Tunnel

On 8 march 2024 BBT SE and H53 Consortium consisting of Porr Bau GmbH, Marti GmbH Austria and Marti Tunnel AG Switzerland completed the factory acceptance of Wilma. This will be the first of the two ... More Information

BBT - New milestone for the TBM Ida on the H41 Sill-Pfons Gorge construction site

The TBM Ida in the H41 Sill-Pfons Gorge lot of the Brenner Base Tunnel is continuing its journey through the westbound line tunnel in a southerly direction.  On Sunday, 25 February 2024, ... More Information

BBT - Take part in choosing the names of the two new TBMs for the Brenner Base Tunnel

Until 12 noon today, 22 February, you can participate in the choice of names for the two 160 m long TBMs that will come into operation in autumn 2024 for the excavation of the Austrian Pfons-Brenner ... More Information

Scaleres tunnel’s TBM assembled

In the ongoing construction of the Scaleres tunnel's the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) on the Fortezza-Verona line in Italy, SELI Overseas, a specialized subcontractor for the Munich-Verona railway ... More Information

BBT - Updates on the Brenner Base Tunnel

Hochstegen: Another construction lot of the Brenner Base Tunnel is now complete  The Swietelsky Tunnelbau company, which in 2021 secured the EUR102 million contract for the construction ... More Information

BBT - Eisack Underpass work completed

All the main works have been completed at the construction site of lot H71 “Eisack River underpass” of the Brenner Base Tunnel, and subsequently the work completion report has now been ... More Information

BBT - TBM Virginia has reached the border with Austria

On 28/03/2023 an important milestone was reached for the Brenner Base Tunnel, on the Italian side, at the Mules (BZ) construction site.  After 14 km of excavation and almost 4 years of ... More Information

TBM Ida will drive the west main Brenner Base Tunnel

On the 14/02/2023 the official inspection of the second TBM for the H41 Sill Gorge-Pfons construction lot of the Brenner Base Tunnel took place at Herrenknecht AG in Schwanau (D). The ... More Information

BBT - Segments production started for lot H41 Sill Gorge-Pfons

The main part of tunnels in lot H41 Gola del Sill-Pfons will be driven by two TBMs. The machines - during their tunnelling - will install the rings, composed of prefabricated concrete ... More Information

TBM Lilia for Brenner Base Tunnel passes acceptance test

TBM Lilia for Brenner Base Tunnel passes acceptance test

The first of the two TBMs for the H41 Sill Gorge-Pfons construction lot of the Brenner Base Tunnel has formally passed its acceptance test at Herrenknecht AG in Schwanau, Germany. The ... More Information

SAIE 2022 - The SIG (Società Italiana Gallerie) tunnelling area

SAIE 2022 - The SIG (Società Italiana Gallerie) tunnelling area

Press release - Among the various special initiatives that uniquely characterize the SAIE 2022, the Construction, Design, Building and Plants’ Fair - in BolognaFiere from 19 to 22 October, ... More Information

BBT - excavations begin for lot H41 Sill Gorge-Pfons

BBT -  excavations begin for lot H41 Sill Gorge-Pfons

Excavation work has begun on the main tunnel for BBT construction lot H41 Sill Gorge-Pfons, in Ahrental near Innsbruck. The Austrian Federal Minister Leonore Gewessler the patroness was ... More Information

BBT – Breakthrough in the Brenner Base Tunnel

BBT – Breakthrough in the Brenner Base Tunnel

On the 19/05/2022 at 13h45 an excavator broke through between lot H71 Eisack undercrossing (built by Webuild) and Lot Mules 2-3 (built by Webuild and Ghella), on the Italian side of the East line ... More Information

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Tunnelling News

The world's longest expressway tunnel: China's Tianshan Shengli Tunnel

At the same time, the project also implemented China's first 'three-tunnel parallel construction' plan, which increased the number of workfaces. At ... More Information

'Not really where you want to be': Ground preparation for Lower Thames Crossing tunnelling

The Lower Thames Crossing is a major new road and tunnel project in the UK, intended to alleviate congestion at the Dartford Crossing and enhance. More Information

Funding problems affect metro line extensions

In the Athens metropolitan area, construction of Line 4 is continuing, with the Avax-Ghella-Alstom consortium saying the two tunnel-boring machines ... More Information

Transport Minister inspects progress on Cairo Metro Line 4 phase one

Four tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are in operation—two in each direction. According to the project timeline, the first TBM has reached the Grand ... More Information

Here's what happened with Toronto's Scarborough Subway Extension in 2025

SSE tunnelling, which began in January 2023, is being carried out with the largest tunnel boring machine (TBM) ever used on a Canadian transit project ... More Information

NHAI connects Tunnel No. 4 on Shimla bypass

NHAI PIU Shimla Project Director Anand Kumar, Bharat Construction ... The tunnel was constructed using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) ... More Information

Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Update: Palghar Tunnel Breakthrough Achieved

NHSRCL Bullet Train Project | India First Bullet Train Update: Last year, the Ministry of Railways achieved a breakthrough in the construction of ... More Information

Main tunnel works connecting future Changi Airport T5 to existing T2 completed

Main tunnel works connecting the future Terminal 5 to the existing Terminal 2 are completed, as the Changi East development gathers pace... More Information

Testing completed on Hudson River Tunnel boring machines

The project calls for construction of 9 miles of passenger-rail track between New York ... More Information

World's longest motorway tunnel finally opens in £3BILLION project

The Tianshan Shengli (Victory) Tunnel, located in the Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang, China, measures some 22 kilometres – roughly 13.75 miles – and ... More Information

Cross-river tunnel of Nanjing Metro Line 4 Phase II completes tunneling

This photo taken on Dec. 27, 2025 shows the rear of the "Xinzhengcheng" tunnel boring machine at the construction site of Nanjing Metro Line 4 ... More Information

Tunnels Design and Construction Market is Going to Boom

HTF Market Intelligence projects that the global Tunnels Design and Construction market will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.80% from 2025 to 2032, from 72 Billion in ... More Information

Longest tunnel in the world costing £7billion will connect 3 European cities

The Brenner Base Tunnel is currently under construction and will connect the countries of Austria and Italy. The impressive tunnel, which is set ... More Information

Georgian Officials Mark Completion of Railway Modernization, Hoping to Boost Transit

The works also included the construction of the 8,300-meter dual-tube tunnel near Kvishkheti, 10 bridges, six tunnels, and around 100 engineering ... More Information

Israeli municipality approves budget for new tunnel project south of Jerusalem

The Jerusalem Governorate said that the project aims to connect the Har Homa settlement, built on Jabal Abu Ghneim land, to the Begin bypass road near ... More Information

Megaprojects Under Construction Around World In 2026

Described as the largest road tunnel in the U.K., the Lower Thames Crossing will link Tilbury in Essex via a tunnel underneath the Thames with ... More Information

Delhi Metro expansion: Cabinet approved Rs 12,015 crore project

The project, planned over a construction timeline of three years, will be executed largely underground using tunnel boring machines to minimise ... More Information

World's Longest Expressway Tunnel to Open, Linking North and South Xinjiang

Engineers used innovative methods and specially designed machines called tunnel boring machines (TBMs) to dig through hard rock faster and safer than ... More Information

The huge £21bn mega-tunnel that goes right through the middle of a mountain

Huge boring machines will create a 57.5km (35.7mile) tunnel through the Alps to connect French and Italian high-speed rail networks and link Lyon ... More Information

Rome digs deep for railway that burrows beneath the Colosseum

Tunnellers used lasers to check whether ancient columns at the nearby Forum were not wobbling as their 300ft long tunnel boring machine churned ... More Information

World’s largest-diameter high-speed railway shield tunneling machine reaches milestone

The world's largest-diameter high-speed railway shield tunneling machine independently developed by China, “Linghang,” for the Chongming-Taizhou ... More Information

Third circuit on £1bn London Power Tunnels 2 project energised

Electricity has begun flowing through a new section of National Grid's London Power Tunnels 2 (LPT2) project after the energisation of a ... More Information

Westmead metro station cavern formwork the biggest in the southern hemisphere

Crews are now retrieving the 1,200-tonne Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) that arrived beneath Westmead in September and October, lifting each machine ... More Information

Webuild: excavation begins on three tunnels for Salerno-Reggio Calabria HS/HC Railway

All four TBMs planned for Lot 1A Battipaglia–Romagnano section are operational with launch of latest three Joining TBM Partenope, already active, are Leucosia and Ligea, whose names were ... More Information

SELI Overseas: 75 Years of Tunneling with TBMs

From Channel Tunnel to the Brenner Tunnel: When Tunneling Is Synonymous with Innovation ... SELI TBM at work on the construction site... More Information

Road realignment is major step for HS2, says firm

HS2 Ltd A view of the realigned B4525 on an overcast day. · HS2 Ltd An aerial view of the construction of Greatworth tunnel showing major earthworks ... More Information

Amtrak has made real progress in East River Tunnel rehabilitation

The tunnel has been stripped down to the concrete liner. Westbrook was told the project isn't just about modernizing and replacing what was, but also ... More Information

Madrid invests EUR 123 million in new metro stations on Line 11

TBM Mayrit enters into action in 2026 · November 2025 – February 2026: assembly of the tunnel boring machine in Comillas Park (Carabanchel district) ... Facebook Twitter Flag as ... More Information

Jerusalem Light Rail Construction Advances Ahead of Major Tunnel Work

Local reporting on city project materials notes that “the plan calls for a 2-km underground tunnel to be built beneath the city center, including ... More Information

Why and how the Civil Works Alliance changed Sizewell C tunnel designs from Hinkley Point C

Ground conditions around Sizewell C have required intense collaboration between the project’s contractors alliance to come up with new outfall and intake tunnel design solutions... More Information

AI planning of the first railway tunnel through challenging terrain

AI plans first rail tunnel through tough terrain. Artificial Intelligence China Uses AI for the Construction of Railway Tunnels. 2025-12-08 ... More Information

Will Tunneling Projects Be The Next Big Thing For Mumbai's Public Transport?

During the interview, she also called tunnel boring machines the safest and one of the most efficient ways of doing tunelling. "Only the place of the ... More Information

Chipolbrok vessels deliver tunnel boring machines to Sydney and mineral bulk to Peru

Chipolbrok delivers TBMs for Sydney Metro on Chipolbrok Star and loads 29000t minerals in Peru on Taixing, showcasing fleet versatility... More Information

How Seequent's software solutions help to manage tunnelling data

The second phase of Singapore's Cross Island Line (CRL) metro project is under way, assisted by a suite of software from Seequent. Singapore's CRL is ... More Information

Muography to Transform Tunnel Safety Monitoring

Underwater bridge tunnels have become vital arteries for cities, enabling smooth vehicular passage beneath rivers, bays, and inland waterways. More than 200 of these structures operate ... More Information

10 longest tunnels in the world that reshaped global transportation

Modern tunnel construction involves sophisticated techniques, including tunnel boring machines and advanced geological surveying. The project ... More Information

Čučković: Construction of the tunnel boring machine for the Belgrade Metro in final phase

It is a good thing that we, for example, acquired these tunnel boring machines at a lower price than other countries... More Information

Serbia plans to borrow 2.5 billion EUR in 2026 for the construction of the Belgrade metro

It is also stated that two TBMs (tunnel boring machines), the so-called moles, have already been ordered and are expected to be delivered to ... More Information

VSM starts operation at Tilbury

The pioneering Vertical Shaft Sinking Machine (VSM) from Herrenknecht, named “Verena”, after Verena Holmes, a pioneering British mechanical ... More Information