A consortium led by the Webuild Group won a contract worth 1.3 billion U.S. dollars (1.07 billion euros) to design and build part of a high-capacity railway that started with the Brenner Base Tunnel between Fortezza and Ponte Gardena in Italy. The 22.5 km long expansion project was commissioned by the state-owned railway operator Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI). Another member of the consortium is the Swiss engineering company Implenia. Most of the work will be done underground, including the interconnection of Ponte Gardena. After completion, the 64-kilometer-long Brenner Tunnel under construction will become the longest railway tunnel in the world.

The tunnel will connect Verona, Italy and Munich, Germany through Innsbruck, Austria. The project will significantly increase the capacity of the Verona-Fortezza line along the Munich-Verona railway corridor and reduce the travel time of passenger and freight trains. Webuild said in a statement: "It will also improve the Munich-Verona line by adopting standards that exceed the speed and performance limits of the existing line, which currently forces trains to travel at a relatively slow speed, especially at On the slopes.” The company is currently involved in the three main construction sites of the Brenner Tunnel. These locations include the underground passage of the Isarco River, adjacent to the Brenner South Exit in front of Fortezza Station, and the underground civil works of Tulfes-Pfons.

Webuild is also building Mules 2-3, which is the core part of the Italian end of the tunnel. Last month, the Iricav Due consortium and Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (Gruppo Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane) signed an agreement to begin construction of the Verona-Padua high-speed/high-capacity railway in Italy. The Iricav Due consortium consists of Webuild (83%) and Hitachi Rail (17%). Editor/Xu Shengpeng