Fortezza-Verona line

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The project involves the four-track expansion of the railway line between Verona and Fortezza, which forms part of the “Scandinavian–Mediterranean” corridor of the TEN-T network. The expansion is divided into lots, including the bypasses around Trento, Bolzano and Rovereto, the four-track expansion of the Fortezza–Ponte Gardena section and the approach to the Verona junction, to which the Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT-SE) is added, which will form a new border crossing point.

The entire project (comprising the BBT and the Verona–Brenner four-track extension) is an infrastructure initiative designed to improve the quantity and quality of rail services in order to meet future transport demand, in particular by increasing freight capacity.

The project has received partial public funding.

“With effect from 12 March 2026, the date on which Decree-Law No. 36 (published in the Official Gazette No. 58 of 11 March 2026) came into force, in accordance with Article 5 of that decree, the Chief Executive Officer of RFI SpA has taken over from the previously appointed Extraordinary Commissioners.”

The objectives

Construction is currently underway on the new railway line crossing the Brenner Pass, i.e. the Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT) – managed by the European company “Brenner Base Tunnel – Brennero Basistunnel” – to which the southern access line, Verona–Fortezza, will be connected. This line will be built by RFI.

These technological and infrastructure improvements will enable an increase in freight capacity, amounting to an additional 60–90 trains per day. The reduction in gradient restrictions will facilitate the use of longer and heavier trains, resulting in an increase in load capacity of around 20% per train. In addition to commercial speed, the standards for service regularity and punctuality will be raised.

Expected benefits

The full-scale project will reduce the maximum gradient to 12.5‰ (from the current 23‰). Once completed, the works will increase the overall capacity of the corridor (part of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean TEN-T). The key objectives are to increase the line’s transport capacity and performance levels (estimated at an additional 60–90 freight trains per day), improve the reliability and punctuality of the rail service, and completely separate freight traffic from local public transport passenger services. In fact, once all the works will be completed, it will be possible to reroute long-distance services via certain sections to significantly reduce journey times, whilst maintaining services to the main towns and ensuring a more efficient, faster and more frequent local public transport service along the existing line.

The long-term aim is to reduce journey times along the Innsbruck–Bolzano route by around 50 minutes. Furthermore, from a freight perspective, the drastic reduction in the maximum gradient to 12.5‰ on the Fortezza–Verona line will allow for longer trains and, on average, heavier loads (+20% per train), thereby improving the efficiency of freight transport.

In addition, technological upgrades are currently underway on the existing line, aimed at improving the reliability, punctuality and quality of rail services through the installation of more advanced technologies, whilst also complying with EU requirements for the TEN-T network.

225 km/h maximum speed

81 total kilometres

1.200 workers employed

7,283 mld € in investiment

Length from Fortezza to Verona

Approximately 180 kilometres

Maximum gradient

12.5%

Design speed

200–250 kilometres/hour

Work progress status

Since the start of the works in 2008, over 136 of the total 230 kilometres have been excavated for the construction of the Brenner Base Tunnel.

Design
Since 2018
Permits
Since 2020
Tenders
Since 2020
Start of work
Since 2021
End of work
Since 2027

Fortezza-Ponte Gardena - Lot 1 Fortezza-Ponte Gardena

Stages of progression: WORKS

Design end date: 2018
End date of the authorisation process: 2020
Date of tender publication: 2020
Start date of executive design and implementation: 2021
Work end date: 2029
Activation Date: December 2029

Bolzano railway bypass - Lot 2 Bolzano railway bypas

Stages of progression: DESIGN

Design end date: 2025
End date of the authorisation process: 2026

Trento railway bypass - Lot 3a Trento railway bypass

Stages of progression: WORKS

Design end date: 2021
End date of the authorisation process: 2022
Date of tender publication: 2022
Start date of executive design and implementation: 2023
Work end date: 2027
Activation Date: December 2027

Rovereto - Lot 3b Rovereto

Stages of progression: DESIGN

Design end date: 2025
End date of the authorisation process: 2026

Access to Verona - Lot 4 - Access to Verona

Stages of progression: DESIGN

Design end date: 2024
End date of the authorisation process: 2025

Lot 1

With Resolution no. 72 dated 27 July 2020, RFI approved the Final Variant Project of Lot 1 – Fortezza-Ponte Gardena. The call for tender was published on the EU Official Gazette in August 2020 and the award of the services is expected in 2021.

Lot 2

RFI has entrusted the design of the Bolzano bypass to Italferr, set to be the subject of discussions and interactions with the territory and its communities upon becoming available in 2022.

Lot 3

The preliminary design subject to project review was developed. Following the agreements with the local authorities, completion of the review activities is expected within the first half of 2021, with regards to the Trento city bypass (Lot 3a).

Lot 4

The preliminary design subject to project review was developed. In agreement with the local authorities, the review activities are expected to be completed by the second half of 2021.

Main technical characteristics

Brennero Base Tunnel

Two single-track tunnels, one in each direction, are connected to each other every 333 metres by cross tunnels.
Length from Fortezza to Innsbruck: 55 kilometres
Length from Fortezza to Tulfes: 64 kilometres
Maximum gradient: 7%
Design speed: 120 kilometres/hour for freight trains; 250 kilometres/hour for passenger trains

The Brenner Base Tunnel will consist of three bores: two main single-track tunnels spaced about 70 metres apart and connected every 333 metres by cross tunnels along with an exploratory tunnel interposed between the two main tunnels at a lower altitude of 12 metres.

Overall, the Brenner base tunnel envisages the construction of 230 kilometres of galleries and tunnels built by the European company BBT (Brenner Base Tunnel or, Brenner Basistunnel BBT SE), 50% owned by the Austrian company ÖBB Infrastrukture and the Italian TFB. The latter is controlled by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana S.p.A., as majority shareholder, and also includes the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, the Autonomous Province of Trento and the Province of Verona amongst the shareholders.

Project construction was divided into 6 Lots, brokend down as follows from north to south:

In Austria

Gola del Sill – the Lot near the Innsbruck north portal, with works currently yet to be started. The project mainly concerns works on ground level.
Tulfes-Pfons – the northernmost Lot in the works, currently under construction. This includes approximately 43.3 kilometres of tunnels, along with the 9.7-kilometre-long rescue tunnel that runs parallel to the Innsbruck bypass.
Gola del Sill-Pfons – the Lot falling between Gola del Sill to the north and Pfons-Brenner to the south, with works currently yet to have started.
Pfons-Brenner – a Lot involving the construction of approximately 50 kilometres of tunnels and an exploratory tunnel.

In Italy

Mules 2-3 – the largest section of the Brenner Base Tunnel, foreseeing the construction of approximately 65 kilometres between the Brenner and Mules and from Mules to the border with the Lot focused on the Isarco River underpass. Once the Mules 2-3 Lot has been completed, all excavation works in Italy will be done.
Isarco underpass – includes the section of the Base Tunnel which, passing through the base the Isarco valley, unfurling for about 6 kilometres, will underpass the Isarco river and the existing railway and road infrastructures (State Road SS12, Brenner railway and the Brenner highway).

Access to the south

Fortezza-Ponte Gardena section (Lot 1)

This project involves the construction of a new railway line, at approximately 22.5 kilometres, of which 15.4 and 6.3 kilometres respectively concern the two double-bore and single-track tunnels of Scaleres and Gardena that connect the Fortezza station to the Ponte Gardena station. The two new tunnels will be connected by a portion of the line in a viaduct over the Isarco River. The maximum gradient will be reduced from the current 23‰ to 12.5‰.

Bolzano railway bypass (Lot 2)

The railway bypass will make it possible to separate the flows of freight traffic from that of passenger traffic (regional and medium-/long-distance). The railway shunt will also mean freight trains will not transit within the town of Bolzano.

Trento and Rovereto railway bypass (Lot 3)

The railway bypass will make it possible to separate the flows of freight traffic from that of passenger traffic (regional and medium-/long-distance). The railway shunt will make it possible to by-pass the urban areas of Trento and Rovereto. For the Trento bypass (Lot 3a) the new line will originate in Roncafort, near the Trento interport, to connect to the existing line in Acquaviva after about 14 kilometres, of which about 12 kilometres is for the Trento double-bore single track tunnel. For the Rovereto bypass (Lot 3b), the new line will be mainly underground, with the construction of the double-bore and single-track Zugna tunnel, set to originate in Acquaviva to connect to the existing line in Marco, south of Rovereto.

From the north into the Verona railway junction (Lot 4)

The new railway line of about 9.5 kilometres will run partly alongside the existing line and partly in a variant of the route. The design is being revised and integrated in the terminal part, at the San Massimo junction, to improve the overall practicality of access to the junction.

Investment and schedule

The total costs of the Brenner Base Tunnel are estimated at around 8.4 billion euro, 40% co-financed in equal measure by Italy and Austria and 50% by the European Union.

The overall economic investment of the Verona-Fortezza line (for the 4 priority Lots) is approximately 5 billion euro.

The first excavation works for the exploratory tunnel of the Brenner Base Tunnel began in Aica in 2008.

For the start of works on the South Fortezza-Ponte Gardena access line, negotiations are currently under way for the integrated contract, which is expected to be completed within the first half of 2021, with a consequent delivery of services.

The first stretch of the Southern Access Line, which falls entirely within Italy, shall be completed by the time works end on the Brenner Base Tunnel.

The Brenner Base Tunnel website

Fortezza-Verona line