Mont Cenis Base Tunnel
The Mont-Cenis base tunnel , which is currently under construction, is the heart of the new high-speed rail link Lyon-Turin . The line and the tunnel should be ready for passenger and freight traffic by 2026 .
Project
As part of the nine main rail corridors funded by the EU Commission , the high-speed Lyon – Turin line is an important element in European rail infrastructure planning. The planned new line is 140 kilometers long and consists of three sections: the French section between Lyon and Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne , the Italian section between Turin and Bruzolo and the international middle section with the Mont-Cenis base tunnel. With a length of 57.5 kilometers, the tunnel, which is equipped with two single-track tubes, will be one of the longest rail tunnels in the world after its completion in 2026 . A short distance further, a 12-kilometer tunnel between Venaus and Bussoleno is part of the new line.
Preliminary studies, protests and costs
The first preliminary studies began as early as 1994. At the beginning of 2005 it was decided to build an exploratory tunnel on the Italian side, since then (as of 2011) the protests against the project in the Piedmontese Susa valley have not stopped. The start of construction had to be postponed several times.
The costs for the construction of the cross-border section (with the base tunnel) are projected to be around 8.5 billion euros; these are to be raised by the two countries concerned and the EU. The total investment for the new route is planned with an estimated 26 billion euros, 40 percent of which will be financed from EU funds. (As of 2019 or earlier)
Old route overloaded
The existing Lyon – Turin line is more than 145 years old and has long been reaching its capacity limits. The Mont Cenis tunnel was opened in 1871 with a length of 12.2 kilometers, making it the oldest large Alpine tunnel. Until the opening of the Gotthard tunnel in 1882, it was the longest tunnel in the world.
In the future, passenger trains are to travel through the planned Mont-Cenis base tunnel at a maximum speed of 220 to 240 km / h, which would reduce the transit time from 3.5 hours to 1.47 hours. Freight trains should run at 100 to 120 km / h.
Web links
- Large railway tunnels through the Alps: the Mont-Cenis , SBB website, from March 3, 2016
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lyon – Turin tunnel: a strategic key project for France, Italy and Europe gouvernement.fr, from March 12, 2019 (English)
- ↑ The Turin – Lyon Link: A Great European Project telt-sas.com, accessed on April 27, 2019 (English)
- ^ Protests against railway lines near Turin escalate zeit.de, July 3, 2011