IPSE DIXIT DOUBLING THE FRÉJUS TUNNEL CONFLICTING OPINIONS ON EXPANDING THE FRÉJUS TUNNEL THE BENEFITS OF A GREAT WORK In 2010, excavation began on the second tube of the Fréjus road tunnel, connecting Italy and France. One of the busiest routes in Europe, the Turin-Bardonecchia corridor, with its adjoining tunnel, sees over 300 million vehicle kilometers annually. The new tunnel, nearly 13 km in length, features an internal diameter of 8 meters and a roadway width of 6 meters. Initially, the project planned only for a second tube to connect to the existing one for emergency evacuation purposes, with an estimated cost of 200 million euros. The conversion of the project to a vehicular tunnel led to an additional cost of 121 million euros. And it was precisely the decision to convert the project into a vehicular tunnel that drew criticism from Legambiente, which had advocated for a safety tunnel rather than one intended for vehicular traffic. In its place, Legambiente called for increased rail freight traffic between Turin and Lyon. However, freight traffic between the two countries has significantly declined, particularly on the railway line, which suffers from outdated infrastructure. According to the latest data available from the Observatory for the Turin-Lyon rail axis in 2019— 93 percent of freight transport is by road due to the outdated rail infrastructure. Without the tunnel, there would have been a decline in freight traffic. “They are finally throwing off the mask and revealing that it is really doubling down. This is a shameful move that once again highlights how Italy’s Alpine transport policy prioritizes incentivizing polluting road transport over sustainable rail transport”. 93% percent of freight transport is by road, and not expanding the tunnel would have negatively impacted freight traffic. IN SHORT Name: Doubling the Fréjus Tunnel Location: Italy/Piedmont, France Start date: 2010 Inauguration year: 2024 Criticisms: Serves rail transportation; inconsistencies in NoTav Positions Results: 93% of goods transportation is done by road SOURCES LA STAMPA https://www.lastampa.it/ torino/2012/06/20/news/blitzdi-legambiente-a-bardonecchiabr-contro-la-seconda-canna-delfrejus-1.36471738/ AISCAT https://www.aiscat.it/wp-content/ uploads/2024/03/AISCATNOVEMBRE-2023-web.pdf LEGAMBIENTE https://www.legambiente.it/wpcontent/uploads/2023/05/Opereinutili-che-rallentano-la-transizioneecologica.pdf PRESIDENZA GOVERNO https://presidenza.governo.it/ osservatorio_torino_lione/quaderni/ Quaderno15.pdf Fabio Dovana, president of Legambiente Piemonte and Valle d’Aosta La Stampa, June 20, 2012 Webuild Multimedia Collection Webuild Multimedia Collection
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