The challenges imposed by the infrastructure managers across Europe to the rail operators are high during the construction season. And in the middle of the vacation season, one of the main routes connecting the Mediterranean with the North Sea will be closed for more than half a month.
ÖBB Infra has announced that it will completely close the Brenner pass for all railway traffic between the 6th and 23rd of August 2023. The reason is maintenance works that cannot be done otherwise in the harsh Alpine environment. During these two and a half weeks, 2,500 meters of new track (almost 1km out of that in the tunnels) will be replaced, 5 km of new rails and 4,000 new sleepers will be installed, and 5,000 tons of ballast will be removed. The schedule names fifty various jobs to be done, mostly in the tunnels. The hard accessibility and spaces often between cliffs and deep slopes.
While passenger traffic will be partially offset by buses, rail freight traffic will face the biggest challenge. During this period, RoLa trains will be completely stopped, and most of the international traffic will be diverted via Tarvisio Boscoverde and Villach.
