All because they need to solve a traffic bottleneck here.

這都是因為他們需要解決這裡的交通瓶頸問題。

The final goal?

最終目標是什麼？

An $11 billion megaproject called the Brenner Base Tunnel.

一個耗資 110 億美元的大型項目，名為布倫納基地隧道。

The project will ultimately create the longest underground railway connection in the world.

該項目最終將建成世界上最長的地下鐵路連接線。

But building a tunnel over 30 miles long that cuts through one of the largest mountain ranges is neither easy nor cheap.

但是，建造一條 30 多英里長、穿越最大山脈之一的隧道既不容易，也不便宜。

And there's still nearly a decade before it's ready for people and goods to pass through it.

而且，還有將近十年的時間，它才能讓人員和貨物通過。

So why is Europe taking on this massive project?

那麼，歐洲為什麼要承擔這項龐大的工程呢？

To understand, look at this map.

要理解這一點，請看這張地圖。

These are the nine main trade corridors that make up the European Union's Trans-European Transport Network.

這九條主要貿易走廊構成了歐盟的跨歐運輸網絡。

The 10T is an infrastructure plan the EU began developing back in the 1990s.

10T 是歐盟早在 20 世紀 90 年代就開始制定的一項基礎設施計劃。

And the Brenner Base Tunnel, or BBT, is at the heart of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean 10 Corridor.

而布倫納海底隧道（Brenner Base Tunnel，簡稱 BBT）是斯堪的納維亞-地中海 10 號通道的核心。

As the longest route in the 10T, this corridor will link the ports up here in Scandinavia to those all the way down in the Mediterranean.

作為 10T 中最長的航線，這條通道將把斯堪的納維亞半島上的港口與地中海沿岸的港口連接起來。

And along the way, it will connect the $4 trillion economy in Germany to the $2.1 trillion in Italy.

一路上，它將把德國 4 萬億美元的經濟與意大利 2.1 萬億美元的經濟連接起來。

In 2021 alone, Italy exported around $78 billion worth of goods to Germany and imported almost $89 billion worth from Germany.

僅在 2021 年，意大利就向德國出口了價值約 780 億美元的商品，從德國進口了價值近 890 億美元的商品。

Some of that trade will happen on the BBT.

其中一些交易將在 BBT 上進行。

But to cross that area now, there's only a slow railway, built back in the 1860s, and this main highway, the Brenner Pass.

但現在要穿越這一地區，只有一條建於 19 世紀 60 年代的慢速鐵路和這條主要公路--布倫納山口。

This highway has since become one of Europe's busiest mountain corridors.

這條公路後來成為歐洲最繁忙的山區通道之一。

Around 50 million tons of goods move across the highway each year.

每年約有 5000 萬噸貨物通過高速公路。

And just in 2022, 2.5 million trucks passed through it, accounting for over 30% of all freight crossing the Alps.

僅在 2022 年，就有 250 萬輛卡車經過這裡，佔穿越阿爾卑斯山的所有貨運量的 30% 以上。

So in an effort to alleviate some of that traffic and lower emissions in the area, Austria has imposed emergency measures restricting transit trucks from driving at night and transporting certain goods that are particularly suitable for rail transport.

是以，為了緩解部分交通流量，降低該地區的廢氣排放，奧地利採取了緊急措施，限制過境卡車在夜間行駛，並限制運輸某些特別適合鐵路運輸的貨物。

The country now also limits the number of trucks to, on a busy day, around 200 per hour.

目前，該國還限制卡車數量，在繁忙的一天，每小時約為 200 輛。

These restrictions have become controversial.

這些限制已引起爭議。

The European Commission upholds its stance that...

歐盟委員會堅持其立場，即...

It is first and foremost up to these three member states to come to solutions on this particular issue.

首先應由這三個成員國就這一特定問題達成解決方案。

Those three member states are Austria, Italy and Germany.

這三個成員國是奧地利、意大利和德國。

But the Italian deputy prime minister says that these limits increase the risk of a infringe on the right to free movement of goods within the EU, while the Austrian Ministry for Climate Action says that litigation will not solve the traffic problem on the Brenner Corridor, no matter the outcome.

但意大利副總理表示，這些限制增加了侵犯歐盟內部貨物自由流動權的風險，而奧地利氣候行動部則表示，無論結果如何，訴訟都無法解決布倫納走廊的交通問題。

Italy did not respond to requests for comment, but at the root of this is Austria's desire for a modal shift from highway to railway.

意大利沒有迴應置評請求，但其根本原因是奧地利希望實現從公路到鐵路的模式轉變。

That's where this $11 billion tunnel comes back in.

這就是這條耗資 110 億美元的隧道的意義所在。

The BBT is designed to reduce both the distance and the time it takes to travel by train from Fortezza in Italy to Innsbruck in Austria.

BBT 旨在縮短從意大利福爾蒂扎到奧地利因斯布魯克的火車旅行距離和時間。

Here you can see the proposed route compared to the current railway system.

在這裡，您可以看到擬議路線與現有鐵路系統的對比。

Unlike the old one, which goes up and winds around the mountain, the BBT plans to cut through the Alps at a speed around 100 miles per hour.

與繞山而上的老路不同，BBT 計劃以每小時 100 英里左右的速度穿越阿爾卑斯山。

This will cut the freight route from 105 minutes down to just 35.

這將使貨運路線從 105 分鐘縮短至 35 分鐘。

And the European Commission also expects this tunnel to increase the rail capacity from 260 trains per day to 660.

歐盟委員會還希望這條隧道能將鐵路運力從每天 260 列火車增加到 660 列。

Since rail transit generally emits less CO2 than transit trucks, the BBT could also reduce some of the pollution.

由於軌道交通的二氧化碳排放量通常低於過境卡車，BBT 還可以減少部分汙染。

But all of this is contingent on the tunnel's completion, which is a massive engineering feat.

但這一切都取決於隧道的完工，而隧道的完工是一項巨大的工程壯舉。

Currently, five construction sites are in operation, with three in Austria and two in Italy.

目前有五個建築工地在營運，其中三個在奧地利，兩個在意大利。

The most recent developments are here, in the southernmost construction site.

最近的開發項目就在這裡，位於最南端的建築工地。

Because of the proximity to the Isarco River, crews first needed to stabilize the terrain.

由於靠近伊薩爾科河，施工人員首先需要穩定地形。

From these shafts, crews injected liquid nitrogen into the soil through a tube.

工作人員從這些豎井中通過管道向土壤中注入液氮。

This nitrogen froze the water present in the soil and in turn stabilized the terrain so the excavation for the tunnel could be completed.

氮氣凍結了土壤中的水分，進而穩定了地形，使隧道的挖掘工作得以完成。

And now they're working to restore the area to its original state as much as possible through a process called renaturation.

現在，他們正努力通過一種名為 "再飽和 "的過程，儘可能地恢復該地區的原貌。

They've made progress on this, but slowly.

他們在這方面取得了進展，但進展緩慢。

It took this single construction site nine years to get to this point and cost over $315 million.

僅這一個建築工地就花了九年時間，耗資超過 3.15 億美元。

And while this lot is nearly finished, the larger project is not expected to be completed until 2032, which means there's still almost 10 years until this tunnel can even begin to ease the pressure at the Brenner Pass.

雖然該地段的工程已接近尾聲，但更大的工程預計要到 2032 年才能完工，這意味著距離這條隧道開始緩解布倫納山口的壓力還有將近 10 年的時間。

Those familiar with the situation at the Brenner Pass, between Austria and Italy, do not expect the restrictions and proposed legal action to derail the tunnel project.

熟悉奧地利和意大利之間布倫納山口情況的人認為，這些限制和擬議中的法律行動不會使隧道項目脫軌。

Italy and Austria are still co-financing 50% of this megaproject in the Alps, with the remaining half financed by the EU.

意大利和奧地利仍在為阿爾卑斯山的這一大型項目共同出資 50%，其餘一半由歐盟出資。

And experts note the potential impact expands beyond trade, since the Brenner has historically served as a military connection.

專家們指出，潛在的影響超出了貿易範圍，因為布倫納河歷來是軍事通道。

In World War II, Germany and Italy cemented their partnership here.

第二次世界大戰期間，德國和意大利在這裡鞏固了夥伴關係。

And German troops and supplies passed through the Brenner before Allied bombing efforts cut off the supply lines, an effort said to have shortened the war.

在盟軍轟炸切斷補給線之前，德軍部隊和補給品都經過布倫納河，據說這一努力縮短了戰爭時間。

In the modern day, the 10T is still seen as a way to ensure swift and seamless movement of military personnel, materials, and assets.

時至今日，10T 仍被視為確保軍事人員、物資和資產快速、無縫移動的一種方式。

And in 2017, the EU announced that the 10T would extend into Eastern Europe, including Eastern Partnership member states like Armenia, Belarus, and Ukraine.

而在 2017 年，歐盟宣佈 10T 將擴展到東歐，包括亞美尼亞、白俄羅斯和烏克蘭等東部夥伴關係成員國。

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Commission doubled down on this intent by putting forward an updated action plan on military mobility.

在俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭之後，委員會加倍努力，提出了關於軍事機動性的最新行動計劃。

But for all of these plans to come to fruition, the completion of the BBT and its connections to other routes is vital.

但要實現所有這些計劃，BBT 及其與其他線路的連接至關重要。

And after delays, it's still at least a decade away.

而在延遲之後，至少還有十年的時間。