Southern access to the Brenner Base Tunnel: design of the Rovereto railway bypass (Rovereto Bypass) – Project co-financed by the CEF Transport program

Introduction
The Rovereto bypass project, co-financed by the European Union under the CEF (Connecting Europe Facility) programme, is a strategic step towards improving southern access to the Brenner Base Tunnel along the Scandinavian-Mediterranean TEN-T corridor. The initiative aims to develop the design of the new Rovereto railway bypass, with the goal of increasing the line's capacity, improving rail service performance and promoting the modal shift of freight traffic from road to rail.

Project scope
The “Rovereto bypass” project is part of the Brenner Base Tunnel Global Project, along the Scandinavian-Mediterranean TEN-T Corridor, and concerns the design of the new Rovereto railway bypass, the southern access section to the Brenner Base Tunnel on the Fortezza–Verona line.
The new infrastructure is designed as a variant to the historic line and will mainly run underground with the construction of the Zugna double-tube, single-track tunnel, approximately 16.7 km long, which will start in Acquaviva and end in Marco, in the southern part of Rovereto. The new line will be mainly dedicated to freight traffic, freeing up capacity on the historic line for passenger services.

Project duration and size
The Grant Agreement was signed under the CEF 2021–2027 (call CEF T 2022 COREGEN). The funding agreement had a total duration of 36 months, with the eligibility period ending in January 2026.
Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) is the Project Coordinator and sole beneficiary of the grant, with a total eligible budget of €4 million and maximum European co-financing of €2 million, equal to 50% of eligible costs.

Activities carried out
The activities involved the preparation of the Project Alternative Feasibility Document (DOCFAP), with analysis and comparison of route alternatives, and the subsequent development of the Technical-Economic Feasibility Project (PFTE) for the ring road. 
The design work was entrusted to Italferr, an engineering company belonging to the FS Group, which was responsible for drafting the DOCFAP and PFTE, ensuring the development of the design solution, which incorporated the detailed information requested by the local authorities, in line with the national regulatory framework and European objectives for sustainable mobility along the Scan Med Corridor.

Outlook and reporting phase to CINEA
The project is currently in the final phase of administrative management of the Grant, which involves the submission of the documentation and information necessary for CINEA's preliminary investigation.
The relevant RFI departments are completing the administrative and accounting activities and finalizing the project dossier on the “Funding & Tenders” portal, in accordance with the provisions of the Grant Agreement, in view of the project reporting activities.