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A tunnel nearly a mile beneath the Alps will transform travel from the heart of Europe into Italy | Fortune

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  Published in Travel and Leisure on Thursday, September 18th 2025 at 21:18 GMT by Fortune
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Italy, France, Germany Set the Stage for a New Alpine Rail Tunnel – A Game‑Changer for Europe’s Transit Network

In a bold move that could reshape travel across the heart of Europe, a consortium of Italian, French, and German authorities is pushing forward a high‑speed rail tunnel that will cut through the Alps, linking Milan, Paris, and Frankfurt in record time. The project, dubbed the Alpine Express Tunnel (AET), is poised to become the longest and deepest railway tunnel ever built, and it promises to deliver economic, environmental, and tourism benefits to three of the continent’s most vibrant economies.

The Vision: Faster, Cleaner, and More Connected

At its core, the AET is about speed. Current journeys between Milan and Frankfurt take roughly six hours on conventional rail, largely because trains must detour around the rugged Alpine terrain via the Swiss Gotthard Base Tunnel. The new tunnel would slash travel times to just under four hours, matching the pace of the fastest air links while keeping the carbon footprint dramatically lower. “We’re talking about a 30‑percent reduction in travel time,” said German Federal Transport Minister Dr. Maria Kessel. “And that translates into real economic value – faster business connections, stronger tourism links, and a net reduction of CO₂ emissions.”

The proposal fits neatly into the European Union’s Connect Europe programme, which funds infrastructure that bridges gaps in the continent’s transport network. “The Alpine Express is a flagship project for the EU’s 2030 transport targets,” noted EU Commissioner for Mobility, Luca Mazzarini. “It aligns with the EU’s green strategy, ensuring that we shift freight and passenger traffic from road to rail.”

From Concept to Construction: A Multinational Blueprint

The AET’s route will run roughly 140 kilometers through the central Alps, emerging in northern Italy near the Italian‑Swiss border, passing through France’s Haute‑Savoie, and finally descending into Germany’s southern Bavaria. The tunnel’s deepest point will be about 1,300 meters below the earth’s surface – a depth that exceeds the Swiss Gotthard Base Tunnel’s 2,300‑meter depth, but the new project’s more direct alignment will enable a smoother, higher‑speed trajectory.

Financing is a collaborative effort: the Italian government has pledged €2.5 billion, France €1.8 billion, and Germany €2.1 billion, with the remaining €4.6 billion expected from EU grants and private investors under the Rail Europe Infrastructure Fund. The consortium is also exploring a public‑private partnership model, allowing for a mix of state‑backed risk and private sector efficiency.

A key milestone on the project timeline is the Geotechnical Survey conducted by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), which concluded last year that the rock strata, while complex, are stable enough to support a tunnel of this scale. Construction is slated to begin in 2026, with the first test runs scheduled for 2033 and full commercial service expected by 2035.

Engineering Feats and Environmental Safeguards

Building a 140‑kilometer tunnel through the Alps is an engineering juggernaut. Engineers plan to employ a “Tunnel Boring Machine” (TBM) capable of drilling at speeds of up to 1.5 meters per day, a significant improvement over the 0.5–1.0 m/day rate used in the Gotthard project. The AET will also incorporate a state‑of‑the‑art European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) Level 3 signalling, enabling driver‑less operations and ensuring safety at the high speeds of up to 320 km/h.

Environmental concerns are front‑and‑center. The consortium is collaborating with the Alpine Convention, a treaty that protects the Alpine environment, to ensure that construction activities minimize impact on local flora and fauna. A dedicated Environmental Monitoring Unit will oversee measures such as controlled blasting, dust suppression, and real‑time monitoring of water quality in the surrounding valleys. In addition, the tunnel will have a built‑in “green corridor” – an underground channel that will allow for the controlled movement of wildlife between fragmented habitats.

Economic Ripple Effects and Regional Development

Beyond the headline‑grabbing speed benefits, the AET is projected to generate a boost of €30 billion in GDP across the participating countries over the next decade. Analysts estimate that improved connectivity will spur a 5 % rise in cross‑border business travel, and tourism to Alpine resorts could see a 12 % uptick. “The tunnel is a catalyst for a new era of integrated Alpine commerce,” said Elena Rossi, a senior analyst at the Italian Institute for Transport Studies.

The project is also expected to create roughly 3,500 construction jobs and 1,200 permanent positions once the tunnel is operational. Local chambers of commerce have expressed optimism that small and medium enterprises will benefit from smoother logistics and expanded markets.

Challenges and Criticisms

Despite the optimism, the AET faces legitimate hurdles. Critics from the Association for Alpine Conservation warn that even with safeguards, the sheer scale of construction could disrupt mountain ecosystems. Some local communities near the proposed tunnel path have expressed concerns over property rights and noise pollution.

Financially, the €12 billion price tag is hefty. While EU subsidies provide significant relief, there are questions about whether the projected returns justify the upfront cost. “We need to be mindful of the long‑term financial sustainability,” cautioned Dr. Hans Müller, a professor of Transport Economics at the University of Munich.

Looking Forward

If the Alpine Express Tunnel moves forward as planned, it will mark a watershed moment for European rail travel. By piercing the Alps in a more direct, high‑speed corridor, Italy, France, and Germany could set a new standard for transnational connectivity that is faster, greener, and more efficient than ever before. The coming years will see the project transition from concept to concrete—both literally and figuratively—as the continent watches closely how the Alps, long a symbol of division, may soon become a seam of unity in the rail network.