Lötschberg Base Tunnel

tunnel, Italy-Switzerland

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June 30, 2026

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The Lötschberg Base Tunnel is a 34.6-kilometer (21.5-mile) railway tunnel in Switzerland that opened in 2007. It is part of a project to increase rail transport capacity through the Swiss Alps, facilitating faster and more efficient travel between Germany and Italy. This tunnel, along with the Gotthard Base Tunnel, aims to shift freight traffic from roads to rail, offering environmental and safety benefits. The Lötschberg Base Tunnel significantly reduced travel time for trains between Germany and Italy, from 3.5 hours to under 2 hours.12

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railroad
Operations
The Lötschberg Base Tunnel, the world’s longest overland tunnel—a 34.6-km (21.5-mile) rail link—took eight years to build, and when full rail service began in 2007, it slashed the train journey between Germany and Italy from 3.5 hours to less than 2 hours. The 57-km (35-mile) Gotthard…
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The Lötschberg Base Tunnel, the world’s longest overland tunnel—a 34.6-km (21.5-mile) rail link—took eight years to build, and when full rail service began in 2007, it slashed the train journey between Germany and Italy from 3.5 hours to less than 2 hours. The 57-km (35-mile) Gotthard…
Read More

tunnels and underground excavations
Canal and railroad tunnels
…Simplon (1898–1906); and the 9-mile Lötschberg (1906–11), on a northern continuation of the Simplon railroad line.
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…Simplon (1898–1906); and the 9-mile Lötschberg (1906–11), on a northern continuation of the Simplon railroad line.
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Switzerland
Transportation and telecommunications
In 2007 the Lötschberg base tunnel, at that time the world’s longest overland tunnel, opened; the rail link was 21.5 miles (34.6 km) long. Another project was a railway tunnel running well below the existing St. Gotthard tunnels. Upon its completion in 2016, the 35-mile (57-km) Gotthard Base…
Read More
In 2007 the Lötschberg base tunnel, at that time the world’s longest overland tunnel, opened; the rail link was 21.5 miles (34.6 km) long. Another project was a railway tunnel running well below the existing St. Gotthard tunnels. Upon its completion in 2016, the 35-mile (57-km) Gotthard Base…
Read More