Brenner Basistunnel · ARGE H53 BBT
BREAKTHROUGH MAIN TUNNEL WEST NORTH
Dear colleagues, the year 2026 has a lot going on.
One event, one milestone after another.
Not quite a month ago, we experienced together the breakthroughs of the main tunnels of the cyclic tunnel advances heading south.
Today we are standing in the Iris, deep down here inside the mountain, and get to witness live how Wilma masters the last metres of a total of around 7,500 m.
The fact that we can admire Wilma today in all her splendour, and in this place, required many steps that had to be completed beforehand.
Piece by piece…. puzzle piece by puzzle piece, Wilma was built. From April 2024 onwards, these parts were transported to us at our H53 site and assembled here again, through countless individual tasks, into one machine.
On 18 September 2024, the start button was pressed.
Wilma set off determinedly and, more than 700 days later, completed her work with 3,822 rings. This means 22,932 segments have found a new home.
Let's now experience the last 1.95 metres together….
GLÜCK AUF
Now she's here!
A warm welcome, Wilma!
Wilma doesn't just stand for continuous tunnel advance using an impressive tunnel boring machine — there is so much more behind her.
Hard work, decade after decade, day after day, night after night, shift after shift.
Many hands working together to turn every single task into a perfect structure for the people.
Behind Wilma stand hundreds of people who, above ground and below ground and beyond the site, helped create a connection between nations.
A connection between nations through the completion of the Brenner Base Tunnel — but also a connection between US on this site.
Behind Wilma, behind this site, stand hundreds of people who make the site what it is, who bring the project to life.
Behind Wilma stand YOU, from above ground to below ground — everything lives through YOU.
From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. Regardless of role or task, every single person matters in order to complete a puzzle of this scale TOGETHER.
Glück Auf and take care of yourself!