On September 18, 2025, deep beneath the towering peaks of the Alps, a hydraulic rock drill broke through the final meter of stone, connecting Austria and Italy 1,400 meters (nearly 4,600 feet) underground. The ceremonial breakthrough, attended by Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, marked not just a feat of engineering but a pivotal moment in Europe’s ambitious plan to transform how people and goods move across the continent. As the dust settled, the world’s attention turned to the Brenner Base Tunnel, soon to become the longest underground rail tunnel on the planet, and just one of four colossal infrastructure projects centered in Italy that promise to redraw the European transit map by the early 2030s.
The scale of these projects is staggering. The Brenner Base Tunnel alone will stretch 55 kilometers (34 miles) between Tulfes, Austria, and Fortezza, Italy, extending to 64 kilometers (nearly 40 miles) with existing tunnels from Tulfes to Innsbruck. Costing around 8.8 billion euros (nearly $10.5 billion), the tunnel is expected to be completed by 2031, with the first trains running in 2032, according to the Associated Press. The project, which began in 2007, is co-funded by Italy, Austria, and the European Union.
Premier Meloni’s words at the ceremony captured the spirit of the undertaking: “In the end, there is no project that is too big to be tackled, there is no project too big for us to bet on.” It’s a sentiment echoed by Pietro Salini, CEO of Webuild, the Italian construction giant overseeing all four projects, who remarked, “The challenge of construction gives extraordinary satisfaction for what we can achieve. It changes the lives of people.”
But what exactly are these four projects, and why are they so crucial? Let’s take a closer look at the infrastructure revolution underway in Italy and its ripple effects across Europe.
Brenner Base Tunnel: A New Gateway Through the Alps
The Brenner Base Tunnel, once completed, will claim the title of the world’s longest underground rail tunnel. Its primary goal is to shift both passenger and freight traffic from congested highways to high-speed rail. The tunnel will dramatically cut travel times: the journey between Verona and Munich will drop by more than half, down to just 2.5 hours; Milan to Paris will be slashed by at least 30%, taking only 4.5 hours; and the bustling port city of Genoa will come within easy reach of Milan’s financial district—potentially turning a once-distant commute into a daily reality.
This is no small feat. The Brenner Pass currently sees more than 2.5 million trucks annually, making it one of Europe’s busiest Alpine routes and a key artery for over 700 billion euros ($824 billion) in goods each year, as noted by Diego Catoni, CEO of the Brenner Highway. By shifting up to half of heavy road traffic onto rails, the tunnel is expected to ease congestion, reduce air and noise pollution, and lower CO2 emissions—an environmental win highlighted by Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the European Commissioner for sustainable transport and tourism.
Tortona-Genoa High-Speed Rail: Linking Ports to the North
Another transformative project is the 53-kilometer (33-mile) high-speed rail line connecting Genoa’s bustling port with Tortona in Piedmont, including links to Milan. With 37 kilometers (23 miles) of tunnels—one stretching an impressive 27 kilometers (over 16.5 miles)—this project aims to shift freight from the Ligurian ports of Genoa, La Spezia, and Savona onto rails destined for northern Europe. The goal is ambitious: start shifting goods by rail next year, with the share rising to 50% by 2050. For passengers, the Milan-Genoa journey will shrink from over 1.5 hours to just about an hour.
This 8.5 billion euro ($10 billion) project, now 90% complete, faced formidable challenges, including the discovery of natural asbestos in the Apennine range. Yet, the promise of faster, cleaner, and more efficient transport has kept it moving forward since its start in 2012.
Lyon-Turin High-Speed Rail: Bridging France and Italy
The Lyon-Turin High-Speed Rail Tunnel is another giant leap for European connectivity. Costing 11 billion euros ($13 billion), the tunnel will extend more than 65 kilometers (40 miles), with 57.5 kilometers (nearly 36 miles) running underground from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, France, to Susa, Italy. When finished—projected for between 2032 and 2033—it will remove over a million heavy goods vehicles from the roads in the western Alps, a region long plagued by traffic and environmental concerns.
Passenger trains will zip between Paris and Milan in just 4.5 hours, down from the current 6.5 to 7.5 hours—a huge boon for travelers between Europe’s second- and third-largest metropolitan areas. The project, which began in 2007, faced significant delays due to environmental protests on the Italian side but is now firmly on track, co-funded by France, Italy, and the EU.
Strait of Messina Bridge: Connecting Mainland Italy to Sicily
Perhaps the most audacious—and certainly the most debated—of the four projects is the Strait of Messina Bridge. This 13.5 billion euro ($16 billion) single-span bridge will finally link the Italian mainland with Sicily, a vision dating back to ancient Roman times. The bridge, spanning from Messina, Sicily, to Villa San Giovanni, Calabria, will feature six car lanes and two rail lines, with upgraded rail connections to Palermo and Catania.
Pending final approval by the court of audits, preliminary work could begin soon, with completion targeted for 2032. The bridge promises to speed up travel, boost economic ties, and, for the first time, offer a direct rail link between Sicily and the rest of Europe.
A Broader Vision: More Than 40 Projects in the Works
These four headline projects are just the tip of the iceberg. Italy’s rail network is undergoing its largest transformation since the Rome-Milan high-speed line opened in 2008, which itself revolutionized travel by making the trip between the capital and Milan possible in as little as three hours—effectively ending the dominance of short-haul flights on that route.
Today, more than 40 strategic rail projects are underway, many funded by 25 billion euros (nearly $30 billion) in EU pandemic recovery funds. They include a high-speed line between Naples and Bari, further knitting together Italy’s diverse regions and bringing the country closer to its European neighbors.
The magnitude of these investments reflects a broader European commitment to sustainability, efficiency, and unity. By reducing truck traffic, slashing travel times, and improving environmental outcomes, these infrastructure projects are poised to reshape not just Italy, but the continent itself. As Premier Meloni put it, “It changes the lives of people.” And as the first tunnel beneath the Brenner Pass opens, that change is no longer a distant promise—it’s a reality in the making.
