{"id":168424,"date":"2025-01-20T20:44:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-20T10:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=59164"},"modified":"2025-01-20T20:44:00","modified_gmt":"2025-01-20T10:44:00","slug":"frejus-tunnel-not-just-could-but-should-now-reopen-in-march","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=168424","title":{"rendered":"Frejus tunnel not just could, but should now reopen in March"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week, a post made by Italy\u2019s state rail operator FS allowed the critical reader to infer a likely comeback of the long-term closed Frejus tunnel in March. However, in the absence of an official confirmation, there was no hundred per cent certainty.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>When FS announced the return of its Paris – Milan high-speed service by April, it meant that the Frejus tunnel also had to be back in use by that point. No separate announcement of the tunnel\u2019s reopening was made, by either Italy or France.<\/p>\n

That is until now. The tunnel \u201cshould\u201d reopen in March, according to statements made by French infrastructure manager SNCF R\u00e9seau to RailTech.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Shut down for over a year<\/h2>\n

The rail link through the Frejus tunnel was shut down for over a year after a landslide at the end of August 2023 paralysed the connection. The incident upended the main border crossing between Italy and France.<\/p>\n

In October of 2024, it became clear that works to secure the cliff above the Frejus railway would last until December. Only after that, the French infrastructure manager SNCF R\u00e9seau could begin railway restoration operations.<\/p>\n

Major complications<\/h2>\n

That was not an easy task, it turned out. Major complications \u2013 \u201cunstable and deep cavities discovered in the central area of the slope required additional work\u201d \u2013 meant that the full reopening was pushed back to the first quarter of 2025.<\/p>\n