The German government presented a proposal for the line between Munich and the Austrian border, which would give access to the Brenner Base Tunnel. However, while the tunnel should be ready in the mid-2030s, the German section would only be completed in 2043.
The 514-page proposal includes the expansion of the Munich-Trudering–Grafing section and a new double-track line from Grafing to the Austrian border via Rosenheim and Kiefersfelden. For the former, the plan is to install ETCS Level 2 and add a passing station near Baldham, which should be done by 2032.
The government estimates that these actions will require around €11.4 billion. This is much more optimistic than what the country’s infrastructure manager DB InfraGO thinks, with over €16 billion expected in costs. For rail freight, the government’s report underlined that one of the objectives is to allow the traffic of 740-metre trains with a weight of 2,086 tonnes in single traction.
Unlocked potential
The 2043 horizon for the completion of the German access to the Brenner Base Tunnel means that full capacity of the new Munich-Verona axis will not be achieved for nearly another two decades. This section is part of the TEN-T Scandinavian-Mediterranean Corridor, one of Europe’s most important logistics backbones.
Italy and Austria are both working to complete the access routes by the opening of the tunnel. In addition to the access routes, Austria and Italy are also busy building the tunnel, which will run from Innsbruck to Fortezza. Digging operations are almost complete, with the Austrian team recently breaking the last barrier separating the two countries.
The tunnel will be able to accommodate 60 to 90 freight trains per day. However, the German section of the corridor is already running near full capacity, with only a dozen slots available. Until the infrastructure between Munich and the Austrian border is upgraded, the bottleneck in the north will remain, limiting the potential of a key European artery.
