Engineers broke through the final rock barrier beneath the Alps, completing the main excavation of a new tunnel that will link Austria and Italy.

A ceremony on Thursday marked a major milestone in the Brenner Base Tunnel, attended by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Austria's Chancellor Christian Stocker.

Why It Matters

The tunnel links into existing rail lines connecting Munich and Verona, enabling faster, smoother freight and passenger travel along this north–south European route. One of Europe's most ambitious sustainable transport projects, the new railway along the Brenner axis, the main rail and road corridor linking Italy, Austria and Germany, is set to transform travel across the Alps.

The Brenner Axis feeds into the larger Scandinavian–Mediterranean Corridor, linking

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