And finally… World’s longest rail tunnel opens after 17 years
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The Gotthard Base Tunnel opens in Switzerland today, 17 years after construction work began.
With a rock overburden of up to 2,300m, the passage is not only the world’s longest, but also the world’s deepest, railway tunnel.
The 57.1 km (35.3 miles) long tunnel has been built in the Swiss Alps by AlpTransit Gotthard, a wholly owned subsidiary of Swiss Federal Railways.
It eclipses Japan’s 33.4-mile (53.8km) Seikan Tunnel as the world’s longest, and burrows deeper - 1.4 miles (2.3km) - than any other rail tunnel.
The line consists of two 57km-long single-track tubes. Including all cross-passages, access tunnels and shafts, the total length of the tunnel system is more than 152km. It links the north portal at Erstfeld with the south portal at Bodio.
Stations at Faido and Sedrun divide both tubes into three approximately equally long sections. The multifunction stations each contain emergency-stop stations and two track crossovers.
Commercial services are set to start in December.
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