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Switzerland - World's longest rail tunnel


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#1 KevinKorell

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Posted 05 May 2004 - 07:24 PM

From Expatica, 5/5/04:

PARIS, May 5 (AFP) - France and Italy on Wednesday signed an agreement on the financing of a EUR 12 billion (USD 14.6 billion) transalpine high-speed rail link between the cities of Lyon and Turin.


The rest of this story is here.


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#2 Sloan

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Posted 05 May 2004 - 07:55 PM

The May issue of Trains provides a fascinating account of the construction of this 33 mile tunnel. BTW, the financing is from taxes imposed on long haul trucks! :lol: Sloan

#3 jis

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Posted 25 May 2004 - 03:44 PM

The May issue of Trains provides a fascinating account of the construction of this 33 mile tunnel.  BTW, the financing is from taxes imposed on long haul trucks!  :lol:

Sloan

The May issue of Trains provides an account of the construction of the Gotthard Base Tunnel which is in Switzerland on the Zurich - Milan Gotthard route (Zurich - Goeschnen - Biasca - Bellinzona - Como - Milan), not the Mt. Cenis Base Tunnel which will be on the Lyon - Turin high-speed route. Then there is also the Loetschberg Base tunnel that is under construction also in Switzerland on the Bern-Loetshberg-Brig-Simplon-Stresa-Milan route. All of these tunnels when completed will carry trucks on flat cars as well as container trains, in addition to, of course, reducing the running time of through intercity express trains considerably.

At least in case of the Loetschberg and the Gotthard base tunnels, apparently the classic old line will continue to be in service carrying local expresses and regioonal service. I don't know whether the old Mt. Cenis line will continue in service after the base tunnel is completed on that route.

Lst time I was in Swizerland I actually saw work progressing quite rapidly on the Rhone Valley portal of the Loetschberg Base Tunnel near Sion.

Jishnu.

#4 KevinKorell

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Posted 28 April 2005 - 11:38 PM

From Metro Magazine, 4/28/05:

Swiss engineers linked Europe’s north and south this week by completing drilling for the world’s longest overland tunnel, which will accommodate trains from Germany to the Swiss Alps.

Read about it here.


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#5 NickG

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Posted 29 April 2005 - 10:16 AM

From AP via the Boston Globe, 4/29/05:

Miners of longest overland tunnel blast through

GENEVA -- With a final blast through mountain granite, Swiss engineers linked Europe's north and south by completing drilling yesterday for the world's longest overland tunnel, a cavernous shaft that burrows under the Swiss Alps and will shave about an hour off the travel time for skiers in Germany heading to resorts near the Matterhorn.

The full story is here.
Nick Gibbon

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#6 KevinKorell

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Posted 30 April 2005 - 08:00 AM

This is a dated article, but it explains why the Swiss went with a rail tunnel rather than a highway tunnel. From the BBC, 10/25/01:

Analysis: Alpine road v rail

The horrific head-on crash in Switzerland's Gotthard Tunnel has once again focused attention on the future of freight transport through the Alps.

Read it here.


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#7 steve4031

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Posted 27 May 2005 - 10:32 PM

I rode over that pass in March. It was a great ride, but riding under those mountains at 150 mph will at least cut the trip in half.

#8 jacorbett70

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Posted 16 October 2010 - 10:40 AM

Longest rail tunnel - The Gotthard Base Tunnel sets world record
SEDRUN, Switzerland--After 14 years of construction the 57 km (34 miles) of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in the Swiss Alps was finally completed when a giant drilling machine nicknamed Sissi cut through the last slice of rock to connect both ends - setting the new world record for the Longest Rail Tunnel.

The Longest Rail Tunnel in the World -- which is in fact composed of two single-track tunnels -- cost $10.6 billion (£6.6 billion).

The World's Longest Rail Tunnel is due to be operational by the end of 2017. Including access passageways, the structure comprises a total of 158.1 kilometres of tunnel.




http://www.worldreco...ord_101920.html

#9 KevinKorell

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Posted 16 October 2010 - 11:38 AM

Kansas City, MO Star, 10/15/10:


Swiss break through Alps, creating world’s longest rail tunnel


Swiss engineers Friday broke through a final 6 feet of rock deep in the Alpine mountains, linking the world’s longest rail tunnel.

The 35-mile Gotthard Base Tunnel will be used for transport through the Alps, shortening current travel times.

Here is this story.


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#10 KevinKorell

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Posted 28 April 2011 - 01:24 PM

The company will provide a ventilation system for the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland, which will carry trains beneath the Alps via a 35-mile route. In total, the project's network of tunnels, shafts and passages equals 94 miles.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetroMagazine-IndustryNews/~4/CSie0TOQRSEView the full article


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