Several thousand people gathered at the Brenner Pass on Saturday to protest against the increasing volume of traffic using the transport corridor linking northern and southern Europe.
Protestors in the Austrian city of Meissen am Brenner held placards reading “Enough” and “Peace in the Valley”, calling for measures to reduce the negative impact of heavy traffic on residents’ health and well-being.
Some protesters also criticized delayed plans for a rail access line in Germany’s southern state of Bavaria, which is intended to relieve congestion on motorways.
Karl Mühlsteiger, mayor of the nearby municipality of Gries am Brenner, described the number of protesters as “sensational”.
Authorities in Austria and Italy have temporarily closed the Brenner Corridor to traffic on both sides of the border.
However, no major disruption in traffic has been reported so far. Motorists were urged to avoid non-essential travel due to the planned protest.
However, a fire on a railway line north of Verona in Italy disrupted train services on the Brenner corridor, with authorities still unclear about the cause.
The Brenner corridor on the Austrian side of the border is expected to remain closed until 7 pm (1700 GMT). Restrictions are in effect from Italy till 8 pm
Among other things, the Brenner Pass is often used by tourists wishing to spend holidays from Germany to southern European countries such as Italy.
According to motorway operator Asfinag, about 11 million cars and about 2.5 million trucks will use the toll motorway in 2025, making it the busiest link from north to south in the Alps.