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With a total length of 64 kilometers, the Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT), together with the Inn Valley Tunnel, will be the longest underground railway connection in the world. The flat tunnel connects Innsbruck in Austria with Franzensfeste in Italy and is a key infrastructure project for freight and passenger transport between northern and southern Europe.

Herrenknecht Formwork is involved in several sections of the BBT, including construction lots H41 and H53, which set standards in international tunnel construction in terms of both their dimensions and their technical requirements.
 

Scope of supply H41:

  • Carousel system with 9 sets of segment moulds
  • Mould for invert segments
  • Robot system for mould cleaning and surface finishing 
  • Automated curing control
  • Concrete transport
  • Concreting station with automatic cover
  • Heating system 
  • Handling equipment
  • 3D measuring

Scope of supply H53:

  • 9 sets of segment moulds for stationary production
  • 3D measuring
  • Handling equipment

45,000

SEGMENTS FOR H53

60,000

SEGMENTS FOR H41

BBT concrete segments
© Galleria di base del Brennero - Brenner Basistunnel BBT SE
Brenner Base Tunnel lining segments
© Galleria di base del Brennero - Brenner Basistunnel BBT SE
Brenner Base Tunnel jobsite
© Galleria di base del Brennero - Brenner Basistunnel BBT SE
BBT segment production finishing robot
© Herrenknecht Formwork

Segment production for Lot H41 – automated and tailored to project requirements

For one of the largest construction phases of the Brenner Base Tunnel, a carousel system with nine sets of segment moulds was erected at the Ahrental access tunnel, eight of which were in use and one set was kept in reserve. The system was equipped with automation solutions tailored to the project requirements: a robot took over the mould cleaning and surface finishing, while curing was automatically monitored and controlled by wireless sensors.

 

The concrete was placed via an integrated transport system to the concreting station with automatic mould cover. This enabled the H41 Sillschlucht-Pfons consortium to produce up to 120 segments per day or up to 3384 segments per month. Production was adjusted to the advance speed in each case.

 

Segment production for Lot H53 – flexible and reliable stationary production

For the largest construction lot on the Austrian side, the Max Bögl Group produced over 45,000 segments for the inner lining of the two main tunnels – stationary at the Sengenthal segment factory using equipment from Herrenknecht Formwork. On-site production enabled rapid commissioning and offered maximum scalability. 

 

Since August 2024, around 530,000 tons of segments and precast invert elements have been transported to the construction site by rail – without transshipment, directly on specially constructed connecting tracks.

 

Adaptation to project requirements

No two tunnel projects are alike. This also applies to the individual lots of the BBT.
That is why we always tailor our equipment precisely to the requirements on site.

 

Whether continuous or stationary production, a high degree of automation or targeted individual measures: the decisive factor is what really creates added value in the overall concept of the project.