Gotthard Base Tunnel
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What is the Gotthard Base Tunnel?
The Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT), located in the Lepontine Alps in southern Switzerland, is the worldâs longest and deepest railway tunnel. It opened in June 2016 to provide a high-speed rail link between northern and southern Europe, specifically between Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Genoa in Italy. The GBT consists of two single-track tunnels that are 57 km (35 miles) long, with a maximum depth of 2,300 meters (7,546 feet). It runs between Erstfeld, in Uri canton, and Bodio, in Ticino canton, as part of the New Railway Link through the Alps (NRLA) project. Because it is largely flat and straight, the GBT can accommodate heavier and longer trains than the old line and has increased the freight train capacity from about 180 to about 260 trains per day.
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Where is the Gotthard Base Tunnel located?
The Gotthard Base Tunnel is located in southern Switzerland, under the Saint-Gotthard Massif in the Lepontine Alps. The tunnel runs between Erstfeld, in Uri canton, and Bodio, in Ticino canton. Opened in June 2016, the Gotthard Base Tunnel is the world's longest and deepest railway tunnel, measuring 57 km (35 miles) in length and reaching a maximum depth of 2,300 metres (7,546 feet). It is a part of the New Railway Link through the Alps (NRLA) project, providing a high-speed rail link between northern and southern Europe, specifically between Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Genoa in Italy.
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Why was the Gotthard Base Tunnel built?
The Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) was built to create a high-speed rail link between northern and southern Europe, specifically connecting Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Genoa in Italy. It significantly increases local transport capacity through the Swiss Alpine barrier, offering a faster and more efficient route compared to older routes like the St. Gotthard Pass.
The tunnel helps shift freight volume from trucks to rail, which has safety and environmental benefits. With its flat and straight design, the GBT can handle heavier and longer trains, increasing freight train capacity from about 180 to approximately 260 trains per day. Passenger trains can travel within the GBT at 200 km per hour, completing the journey from Erstfeld to Bodio in just 20 minutes. The Swiss electorate formally approved the project in 1992, with construction commencing in 1999.
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How long is the Gotthard Base Tunnel and what makes it special?
The Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT), opened in June 2016, is the worldâs longest and deepest railway tunnel, running 57 km (35 miles) under the Swiss Alps at a maximum depth of 2,300 metres (7,546 feet). It consists of two single-track tunnels and is a key part of the high-speed rail link between Rotterdam and Genoa, forming a mainline rail connection between northern and southern Europe.
Construction of the GBT, managed by AlpTransit Gotthard AG, began in November 1999 and took 17 years. It was a remarkable feat of engineering due to the unpredictable rock quality, the intense weight of the mountain above, and extreme temperatures, which could reach 46°C (115°F). Tunneling was done from both directions using massive tunnel boring machines, with blasting used for about 25 percent of the project.
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What kinds of trains use the Gotthard Base Tunnel?
The Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) is used by both passenger and freight trains. It has increased freight train capacity from about 180 to about 260 trains per day. Passenger trains within the GBT travel at a speed of 200 km (124 miles) per hour, and freight trains travel at a minimum speed of 100 km (62 miles) per hour. The tunnel is largely flat and straight, which allows it to bear heavier and longer trains than the old line.
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How did building the Gotthard Base Tunnel benefit transportation and travel in Europe?
The Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT), which opened in June 2016, is the world's longest and deepest railway tunnel and is part of the New Railway Link through the Alps (NRLA) project. The GBT benefits transportation and travel in Europe by creating a high-speed rail link between northern and southern Europe, specifically between Rotterdam and Genoa.
The tunnel significantly increased local transport capacity through the Swiss Alpine barrier, offering a faster and more efficient route compared to older routes. The GBT can handle heavier and longer trains because it is largely flat and straight, increasing freight train capacity from 180 to 260 per day. Passenger trains can complete the trip from Erstfeld to Bodio in 20 minutes. By shifting freight volume from trucks to rail, the GBT also provides safety and environmental benefits.
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Gotthard Base Tunnel, railway tunnel under the Saint-Gotthard Massif in the Lepontine Alps in southern Switzerland, the worldâs longest and deepest railway tunnel. Opened in June 2016, the tunnel provided a high-speed rail link between northern and southern Europe, forming a mainline rail connection between Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Genoa in Italy. Comprising two single-track tunnels, the Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) is 57 km (35 miles) in length and has a maximum depth of 2,300 meters (7,546 feet). It runs from Erstfeld, in Uri canton, to Bodio, in Ticino canton, and is a division of the New Railway Link through the Alps (NRLA) project.
Importance
Largely flat and straight, the GBT is a âbase tunnelâ because it passes through the base of the mountains rather than traversing the difficult terrain. The tunnel significantly increased local transport capacity through the Swiss Alpine barrier, providing a faster, more efficient route than the St. Gotthard Pass, the old St. Gotthard Tunnel (constructed 1872â80), or the St. Gotthard Road Tunnel (opened 1980). The GBT is used for both passenger and freight trains and helped shift freight volume from trucks to rail, with both safety and environmental benefits. With practically no gradient, the GBT can bear heavier and longer trains than the old line and has increased the freight train capacity from about 180 to about 260 trains per day. Passenger trains within the GBT travel at a speed of 200 km (124 miles) per hour and can complete the journey from Erstfeld to Bodio in 20 minutes. Freight trains travel at a minimum speed of 100 km (62 miles) per hour. Four to six freight trains and up to two passenger trains often run per hour in each direction through the tunnel every day.
History and construction
The first visionary idea for the GBT was sketched by engineer Carl Eduard Gruner in 1947. The Swiss government established a committee to evaluate various base tunnel ideas in the 1960s and formally recommended the construction of a Gotthard base tunnel in 1970. In 1992 the Swiss electorate passed the governmentâs resolution to construct the Swiss Rail Link through the Alps, providing the formal start to the project. Over the next few years, exploratory bores and other investigations were carried out to determine the most geotechnically favourable route for the tunnel, finally landing on the Erstfeld-Bodio route. AlpTransit Gotthard AG, a subsidiary of Swiss Federal Railways, was responsible for construction of the GBT, which officially began on November 4, 1999.
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The construction of the GBT was a remarkable feat of modern engineering. The unpredictable quality of the rock, coupled with the intense weight of the mountain above and the resultant extreme temperatures and humidity (without ventilation, the temperature inside the mountain system can reach 46 °C, or 115 °F), posed serious challenges. Tunneling was done from each direction in each of the two bores, with four access tunnels built to facilitate the simultaneous construction. The four construction sites, Erstfeld, Amsteg, Sedrun, and Faido, each had its own base camp with living quarters, cafeterias, and worker transit as well as water treatment facilities and concrete factories that were fed excavated rock from the tunnel construction; a fifth site at Bodio was added later. The tunnels were primarily constructed with four massive tunnel boring machines, Herrenknecht Gripper TBMs, each of which was more than 441 metres (1,446 feet) long; blasting was used for only about 25 percent of the project. After nearly 11 years the final breakthrough in the east tube took place, in October 2010. The breakthrough was one of the most precise breakthroughs in the history of tunnel construction, with a horizontal deviation of just 8 cm (3 inches) and a vertical deviation of a remarkable 1 cm (0.4 inch).The final breakthrough in the west tube was completed in March 2011. From first blast to the extravagant opening ceremony, the tunnel took 17 years to complete and finished both on time and within its $12 billion (12.2 billion Swiss francs) budget. Nine workers died in accidents while the tunnel was under construction.