Francesco Pastorelli, CIPRA Italia
Fréjus: end of the road for the “Alpine motorway on rails”
After an 18-month closure caused by a landslide, the beginning of April 2025 saw the first passenger trains once more running through the Fréjus railway tunnel connecting Italy and France. The transport of trucks on freight trains has not been resumed, however.
CIPRA Italy
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More news
Together against transit traffic
CIPRA Italy. While most of Italy is surrounded by the Mediterranean, to the north the country is encircled by a wide arc formed by the Alps. Goods shipped to Italy via sea routes are distributed onwards throughout Europe from Italy, with European products shipped out through Italian ports.
Transit traffic: a partial success on the Gotthard Pass
The Gotthard Pass has seen a historic low in transalpine goods traffic since the adoption of the law governing the modal shift. In contrast, the number of trucks crossing the Brenner Pass continues to increase.
Polluted glaciers
Pesticides, herbicides, medicines – all these materials were found at over 2,700 metres above sea level. The water flowing down from the Presena glacier into the valley reflects this state of affairs.
Open Alps 2017
The end of 2016 saw the announcement of the winners of the 2017 “Open Alps” human rights award. This honour is given to individuals or groups who actively work for the rights of refugees, immigrants, socially disadvantaged persons and threatened minorities in Europe.
Events
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Projects and activities
Voices along the Via Alpina
The Via Alpina has been connecting people, cultures and landscapes across the Alps for 25 years now. A podcast series tells the story of the project, highlights the challenges and opportunities of long-distance hiking and raises awareness of sustainable tourism in the Alps.
CIPRA International Lab
OUT4INGOV: Shaping youth migration
The emigration of young people poses major challenges for many Alpine regions. The OUT4INGOV project is working with local organisations to develop innovative approaches to better manage youth migration and raise awareness of the issue in society.
CIPRA France
GOVQoL – Empowering Alpine communities to improve their quality of life
Alpine communities’ quality of life (QoL) is currently facing several challenges such as the depopulation of remote areas, reduced provision of services of general interest, the impacts of climate change, and mistrust of governance. These issues are not only reshaping the Alpine territories but also impacting the daily lives of its inhabitants. Despite the urgent need for responsive and inclusive governance, there is currently a significant gap in understanding and addressing QoL at the local level which our project aims to address.