24 to 27 December 2024: closed
28 and 29 December 2024: open
31 December 2024: open from 10:00 to 13:00
1 and 2 January 2025: closed
Starting on 3 January 2025, Tunnel World will be back to its usual hours.
These 10 adventure worlds await explorers
Tunnel World will offer its visitors exciting glimpses of the mysteries that surround the construction of the Brenner Base Tunnel.
Lots of displays, on history, geology, topography, tunnel construction, technology, environmental issues and so much more, invite you to touch, discover, play and learn.
- Reception / Brochures
- Large route layout showing the progress of the excavation
- Footprints over the Alps
- The road over the Brenner Pass
- Radio time machine
- Antique railway telephone
From the Stone Age to today: Ötzi, Drusus, Charlemagne, Göethe, right up to you and me: What were and are the reasons to cross the Brenner Pass? What did the road look like in the past, and how did this important route develop? Get to know the lowest Alpine pass, at 1,371 metres above sea level, and cross it yourself - it’s more fun in Tunnel World.
How does tunnel construction work? What machines are needed?
Tunnel construction: Digging big holes underground. A fascinating, difficult job. Learn your way around construction machinery that you don’t see every day, and special words that only experts know. Stroll over the tracks inside a finished tunnel tube and find out what “ETCS” is. And you will definitely impress your friends with what you know about the other big tunnels in Europe.
It’s not just the Brenner Base Tunnel that’s huge, the fun on the climbing wall and the challenge of building a finished tunnel ring from 6 tubbing elements are pretty cool too. Solve the tunnel quiz, discover what animals build tunnels and hear some stories that are not your boring everyday stuff! You can even “whisper” that you are absolutely not ready to leave...
Whether you’re the train driver or a passenger, you can’t miss this simulator. Put your hand on the accelerator and ...off we go! Regulate the speed of the train on the Brenner line and even if you’re having fun, don’t forget to push the Dead Man’s Switch every 30 seconds.
How the continents were born: Talk about a moving story... In Tunnel World, you can find out about tectonic plate shifts, how mountains fold and rise in 3D, how groundwater flows and lots more, without having to hang around for a few million years. So if you want to jump for joy, go ahead! Our seismograph will measure your good vibrations.
Plane, train, ship or lorry? How much time and how many kilometres does each transportation method require for a goods delivery, and how much pollution does it produce? Compare the data - you’ll be surprised! The laser measuring tool lets you measure distances that are much too long for any measuring tape. Try it now! What will the travel speeds of the future be? If all this is too fast for you: just slow it down with a traffic jam.
Why is it so hot in the tunnel?
We are all familiar with tunnels - at least the railway and road tunnels that we all travel through. But compared to them, most of the Brenner Base Tunnel runs much deeper below the ground. How do you know what kind of rock is inside the mountain where you want to build the tunnels? Take a look at the fascinating drill cores. Each one is different! Find out all there is to know about tunnel construction!
An oversized drilling machine?
A hi-tech “mole”?
Have you ever seen the “underground factory” that is used to build a tunnel like this? What happens to the excavated rock? And how can you be sure that two tunnels will actually meet where they are supposed to, if you are digging from more than one direction at the same time? Find out how many different kinds of TBM there are and what a tubbing ring is. Only real tunnel experts know things like that.
And may we introduce you? This is the cutter head of the tunnel boring machine that, working from autumn of 2015 to the summer of 2020, excavated 16,587 metres of hard, compact rock from Ahrental, south of Innsbruck, to Steinach am Brenner. The 49 cutter heads, at an impressive diameter of 8 metres, chewed the rock into little chips. Talk about biting off more than you can chew....
Dig up rocks and carry them.
What’s that humming noise?
A very special playground...with lots and lots of rocks. See how good you are at excavating and carrying small rocks. It’s not as easy as it looks! Did you know that seemingly “lifeless” rock makes a really great sound? Discover your own musical talent and let our stone xylophone ring!
