Aster tunnel
| Aster tunnel | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official name | Galleria branch | |||
| use | none (formerly railway tunnel) | |||
| traffic connection | Brennerbahn | |||
| place | Pflersch , South Tyrol , Italy | |||
| length | 761 m | |||
| Number of tubes | 1 | |||
| construction | ||||
| Client | Karl v. Etzel | |||
| completion | 1867 | |||
| business | ||||
| operator | formerly kk priv. Südbahngesellschaft formerly FS |
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| release | August 21, 1867 (freight traffic) August 24, 1867 (passenger traffic) |
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| closure | November 14, 1999 | |||
| Aster tunnel and new Pflersch tunnel | ||||
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| location | ||||
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| Coordinates | ||||
| North portal | 46 ° 57 ′ 2 " N , 11 ° 24 ′ 14" E | |||
| South portal | 46 ° 57 '7 " N , 11 ° 23' 43" E | |||
Map with all coordinates: The Aster Tunnel ( Italian Galleria Ast ) was a reverse railway tunnel on the Brennerbahn shortly after Gossensass . Karl von Etzel artificially extended the route with a 4 km long bypass into the Pflersch valley in order to be able to cope with the difference in altitude between Gossensaß and the Brenner . A characteristic of the tunnel was its narrow radius of only 284 m, which reduced the possible maximum speed to 70 km / h. It is named after the hamlet of Ast.
Even during the construction one had to struggle with numerous problems. In 1866 construction was temporarily stopped after some workers lost their lives in it. Up until 1999 the tunnel was part of the old route (which led via Schelleberg to Brennerbad ), which was replaced by the new Pflersch tunnel in the same year . The reasons for the closure were the low speeds and the high maintenance costs of the tunnel and the rockfall-endangered stretch on the northern slope of the valley. Immediately after the opening of the new section, the entire track bed was removed, so that today only remains of gravel can be found in the tunnel. In the course of time, nature has also brought back the south portal, which is difficult to see today. The Eisack Valley Cycle Route leads past the north portal .
literature
- Laura Facchinelli: The Verona – Brenner Railway . History of an important transport route. Athesia, Bozen 1995, ISBN 88-7014-856-4 .