With a route length of 57.09 km and a total of 151.84 kms of tunnels, shafts and passages, the Gotthard Base Tunnel is the world’s longest and deepest rail tunnel and the first flat, low-level route through the Alps in Switzerland. The tunnel, completed after two decades of construction work, has overtaken Japan’s 53.9 km Seikan Rail Tunnel and pushed the 50.5 km Channel Tunnel linking the U.K. and France into third place.
The idea to build this tunnel was born 69 years ago: Swiss engineer Eduard Gruner first came up with the concept in 1947. Gruner predicted the visionary project could be finished by the start of the 21st century – and he turned out to be off by just 16 years.
Some 2,400 workers, many from Germany, constructed this new rail link between the North Sea and the Mediterranean. More than 28 million tons of rock had to be excavated from the mountain near the Gotthard pass to create the total of 151.84 km (94.3 miles) of tunnels, shafts and passages.
Rather than greater comfort to rail travelers, the main purpose of the new route is to make rail freight more efficient by increasing total transport capacity across the Alps, helping shift freight volumes from road to rail to reduce fatal crashes and environmental damage caused by ever-increasing numbers of heavy trucks. Some 260 freight trains will be able to pass through the Gotthard mountain range every day, rather than the current maximum of 180.
Despite Wednesday’s opening, it will still be a while before full service begins. It is expected to start in December, just before Christmas, after the rail link has passed a further 3,000 test drives. Only then can the old Gotthard Tunnel, which dates back to 1882, be officially retired.
Credit : DW
Picture Credit : Google
