Switzerland has inaugurated Gotthard Base Tunnel, staging a massive celebration to honor the longest and deepest railway tunnel in the world. Leaders of France, Italy and Germany attended the opening ceremony.
Image: picture-alliance/Keystone/M. Ruetschi
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Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann described the tunnel as a "once-in-a-century" feat at the Wednesday ceremony.
Some 600 artists performed at the opening ceremony, featuring musical bands, clowns, acrobats, masked actors and a tunnel theme song. The government also staged a lottery with 130,000 participants, awarding train tickets for the inaugural trip to 500 people.
Among the passengers were German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, taking a 20-minute trip between Swiss towns Uri and Bodio.
Merkel presumably did not need to enter the lottery to get her spot on the train's first tripImage: Reuters/R. Sprich
Merkel lauded the work of Swiss engineers and said the tunnel was a symbol of the connectedness of people in Europe. "We have a lot of discussion in the Schengen zone - also because of the refugees - on how we can preserve the freedom of movement within Europe," the chancellor said.
The tunnel "would connect people and cultures and strengthen connections. I think that is wonderful," she added.
'Conquering' the Alps
The Gotthard Base Tunnel breaks several records - it not only the longest, but also the deepest tunnel in the world, passing 2.3 kilometers (1.5 miles) bellow a mountain peak. The depth is comparable to some of the deepest mines on Earth and temperatures can reach 46 degrees Celsius (115 Fahrenheit).
During 17 years of construction, workers had to move over 28 million tons of rock from the inside of the mountain massif. It was completed about a year ahead of schedule, on a budget 12.2 billion Swiss francs ($12.2 billion, 11.0 billion euro).
"It is just part of the Swiss identity," said Swiss Transport Director Peter Fueglistaler. "For us, conquering the Alps is like the Dutch exploring the oceans."
Shortcut across Europe
The project received financial and engineering support from around the European Union, as the tunnel cutting through the Swiss Alps gives a major boost to trains traveling across Europe. It is also praised for its environmental impact - the improved railway line should get 600,000 trucks off the road every year, with goods loaded to freight trains instead.
Germany already invested 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) to expand the railway line in the Rhine valley, aiming to increase cargo traffic through the new tunnel. Berlin also earmarked an additional 6.5 billion euros for the project, German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt said in Switzerland on Wednesday.
Authorities intend to conduct additional 3,000 tests in the Gotthard base tunnel before opening it to normal operation in December this year.
New Swiss tunnel is the world's longest
Switzerland has unveiled a new railway tunnel that cuts through 57 kilometers of the Swiss Alps. A technological tour de force, the Gotthard Base Tunnel connects the scenic villages of Erstfeld and Bodio.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Settnik
Moving mountains
After 17 years of construction, the Gotthard Base Tunnel is finally ready for operation. Some 28 million tons of rock were carved out of the Swiss Alps by massive boring machines, and the leftover debris was then used to make concrete and form the smooth tunnel walls. Inaugural train rides are planned for June 1, but normal operations won't commence until another 3,000 test drives are completed.
Image: picture-alliance/Keystone/M. Ruetschi
A plane for trains
A key advantage of the new Gotthard tunnel is the flat surface of its tracks, making it easier for heavier trains to travel between Erstfeld and Bodio with fewer engines - and do so at higher speeds. This will make it possible for 260 freight trains to pass through the tunnel in a day, compared to the 180 that made their way through the old Gotthard tunnel.
Image: picture alliance/KEYSTONE
A job machine
In all, 2,600 people came together to work on the Gotthard Base Tunnel project, including engineers, geologists and contractors. Together, they chalked up 4 million man-hours. The Swiss, true to their reputation for precision and punctuality, finished the project a year ahead of schedule and only marginally overbudget.
Image: AlpTransit Gotthard AG
Move over, Japan!
With the Gotthard tunnel's completion, Switzerland dethrones Japan as having the world's longest underground railroad passage. Opened in 1988, the Seikan tunnel was commissioned after a devastating typhoon sank five ferry boats. Eager for a safer way to cross the Tsugaru Strait, the Japanese carved a 53.9-kilometer tunnel through a major earthquake zone.
Image: Imago/Kyodo News
The Channel Tunnel
An engineering marvel in its own right, the Gotthard tunnel is seven kilometers longer than the Channel Tunnel, which has been recognized as one of the seven wonders of the modern world. Also known as the Eurotunnel, this 50.5 kilometer-long link between Great Britain and France also has one of the longest undersea sections in the world (37.9 kilometers).
Image: Getty Images/AFP/D. Charlet
Road to rails
Gotthard's tenure as the longest rail tunnel in the world may be over by 2026. That's when construction of the Brenner Base Tunnel is slated for completion. The Brenner tunnel will stretch 64 kilometers and is aimed at relieving congestion on the popular - and highly trafficked - Brenner Pass (pictured).
Many German engineers worked on the Gotthard Base Tunnel, which finished sooner than expected and with only minor cost overruns. That feat is in stark contrast with some major construction projects in Germany, notably Berlin's new airport, whose opening is already four and a half years behind schedule, due to sloppy project management and a series of major engineering mistakes by contractors.
