Alps rail tunnel a step closer

France and Italy yesterday took another step forward on a controversial 20-year-old plan to build a high-speed rail track linking their countries via a tunnel under the Alps.

In a move intended to underline the two governments’ commitment to the €26 billion scheme, transport ministers signed an accord on the financing of a 57km tunnel under the Alps that accounts for a third of the estimated total cost.

It is now 21 years since the idea of the rail link was launched at a Franco-Italian summit. It is scheduled to come on line in 2028 at the earliest.