Several thousand people gathered at the Brenner Pass on Saturday to protest growing road traffic along one of Europe’s busiest transport corridors linking northern and southern Europe.
Demonstrators in the Austrian town of Matrei am Brenner carried signs reading “Enough is enough” and “Peace in the valley,” calling for measures to reduce the impact of heavy transit traffic on communities in the Alpine region.
“It’s sensational,” said protest organizer Karl Mühlsteiger, referring to the number of demonstrators.
“This will go down in Tyrolean history,” said Mühlsteiger, who is mayor of the nearby municipality of Gries am Brenner.
Due to the protest, authorities in Austria and Italy closed the Brenner route to transit traffic until this evening on both sides of the border. Many demonstrators travelled there by train and bicycle.
The demonstration prompted authorities in Austria and Italy to temporarily close the Brenner corridor to through traffic on both sides of the border.
Motorists were urged to avoid non-essential travel, while access during the closure was largely restricted to local traffic.
Elsewhere, a fire on a railway line north of Verona in Italy disrupted train services along the Brenner corridor on Saturday, adding to transport difficulties in the region.
Italy’s state railway company said the damage was caused by unknown individuals.
Criticism of German transport policy
Some protesters also criticized the delayed planning of the rail access line in Germany's state of Bavaria, which is intended to relieve congestion on the motorway once the Brenner Base Tunnel is completed.
According to motorway operator Asfinag, nearly 11 million cars and around 2.5 million lorries used the toll motorway in 2025. This makes the route the busiest north-south link in the Alps.
According to calculations by the Ecology and Transport Association (VCÖ) last year, almost three times as many lorries crossed the Brenner as all Alpine transit routes in Switzerland combined.
A quiet start
Earlier, traffic flowed smoothly through Saturday morning with no major delays reported in Austria, Germany or northern Italy, which seemed to surprise authorities.
“It’s quieter than usual at the moment,” said a spokesman for Austria’s ÖAMTC motoring club, noting that holiday weekends typically bring heavy return traffic through the Tyrol region.
On the Italian side, traffic police in Bolzano described conditions as “extremely quiet.”
Officials said many travellers appeared to have altered their plans after repeated warnings, although delays are expected after the route reopens.
During the closure, only local traffic is permitted in the affected area, and alternative routes are also restricted.
The Brenner corridor is expected to remain closed on the Austrian side of the border until 7 pm (1700 GMT). On the Italian side, restrictions are in force until 8 pm.
