The ambitious undertaking will include an international section crossing the Alps via the Moncenisio base tunnel.

TRAVEL

Work continues on the base tunnel (Image: TELT Lyon Turin - Youtube)

Work on a new high speed rail line connecting France and Italy is progressing at pace. The Turin-Lyon line is part of the TEN-T network's Mediterranean Corridor, connecting the Iberian Peninsula to Eastern Europe.

It will run for 270 kilometres (168 miles), of which 70% is in France and 30% is in Italy. The ambitious undertaking will include an international section crossing the Alps via the Moncenisio base tunnel. The double-barrel, single-track tunnel will be 35.7 miles long, of which 27.9 is in France and 7.7 in Italy.

ITALY

Engineers work on the Moncenisio tunnel (Image: TELT Lyon Turin - Youtube)

Once completed it will be the longest railway tunnel ever built, as well as being one of the most impressive infrastructure works in Europe.

However, the tunnel's construction has provoked fierce criticism from conservation groups, worried about the environmental impact.

CIPRA France and Mountain Wilderness issued a statement in 2023, saying: "The mountains are not Swiss cheese. There is a need to reduce traffic and manage traffic flows across the Alps.”

They added: "We must reduce the volume of traffic, not expand it, and manage the transport capacities on the Alpine transit routes together, in a network that combines rail and road. Anything else is an ineffective shift of the problem from one Alpine corridor to the next."

With a maximum gradient of 12.5% and an elevation of 580 metres, the new line will be significantly more efficient than the existing one, allowing trains to reach speeds of up to 140 miles per hour.

The total construction costs are estimated at €25 billion (£22bn), with the international section costing €8 billion (£7bn).

The project is receiving EU funding, with Brussels covering 40% of the tunnel costs - a figure that could yet rise to 55%.

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The tunnel should be completed by 2032, and will help slash travel times between the two major European cities from four to two hours.

In total the new line will feature a whopping 102 miles of tunnels running under the Western Alps, as well as two brand new international railway stations.