TBM Flavia’s Final Push: Excavation Complete at Brenner, Italy

In a feat of engineering excellence, excavation on the Italian side of the Brenner Base Tunnel has officially concluded with the final breakthrough of Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) “Flavia.” The completion of this phase marks a major milestone in constructing the world’s longest railway tunnel — a 64 km underground corridor connecting Fortezza in Italy to Innsbruck in Austria. The west main tunnel excavation, part of the Mules 2–3 Lot, is now over 95% complete, and this section alone involved more than 65 km of tunneling, 40 km of which was mechanized.

Flavia, the third TBM used in the project after Serena and Virginia, bored 14.3 km of tunnel beneath the Alps, installing approximately 65,000 concrete segments. Facing high rock pressure and fractured geology at depths of up to 1,200 meters, Flavia stalled in 2023 but eventually resumed operation following technical interventions. The machine’s successful breakthrough is a testament to the resilience and precision of geotechnical and tunneling teams.

Once operational, the Brenner Base Tunnel will revolutionize mobility in the region. Passenger trains will travel at speeds up to 250 km/h, cutting travel time between Italy and Austria from 80 minutes to just 25. The tunnel forms a vital segment of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor of the TEN-T network, helping reduce environmental impacts and boosting Europe’s sustainable transport capacity. Webuild’s role, both in Italy and Austria, reinforces its global reputation in sustainable infrastructure and complex tunnel construction.