Highlights

Cutting the journey time through the Alps

Passengers and road haulage operators travelling through Switzerland can now see the light at the end of the tunnel following the breakthrough of one of the tubes for the new railway line through the St Gotthard massif on 15 October. Once connected to the Zimmerberg and Ceneri base tunnels, the Gotthard base tunnel will provide a fast new transport route, cutting the journey time between Zurich and Milan by one hour.

With a length of 57 km, it is the world's longest railway tunnel. It consists of two underground tubes 40 m apart. The breakthrough of the east tube was achieved first; the west tube will follow in the spring of 2011. The tunnel is at a much lower altitude than the existing railway line, at 550 m above sea level, while the mountains above the railway line are more than 3 000m in height.

The new line is intended to reduce traffic through the Alps and ensure that it is managed in a more profitable, sustainable and environmentally-friendly way. It will help cut connection times between economic hubs throughout Europe. Passengers will travel in high-speed trains at 250 km/h, while freight will be carried in faster trains than those currently used, reaching a speed of 160 km/h. It will also be possible to increase the quantity of freight transported, something which is currently subject to restrictions.

Work on the installation of the railway tracks and technical infrastructure is already under way. This landmark project is expected to open to traffic in late 2017.

In the margins of their meeting in Luxembourg on 15 October, EU transport ministers followed a live broadcast of the tunnel breakthrough.


For more information:
Tunnel cut-through ceremony in the margins of the Council