Record-long rail tunnel opens in Switzerland
JUN 02, 2016
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029865
BBC : Measuring 57.1 km in length and requiring 17 years to build, the Gotthard Base Tunnel cuts through the Swiss Alps to connect northern and southern Europe. The tunnel is flatter, straighter, and deeper than the existing Gotthard rail tunnel, and its purpose is to expedite the transport of both people and goods across the Alps. Some 65 passenger trains and 260 freight trains will use the tunnel daily. It is expected to help reduce the number of trucks traveling through Switzerland, which has been estimated to be as many as a million per year.
Editor’s note, 8 June 2016: This post has been updated to clarify the comparison between rail tunnels.
© 2016. American Institute of Physics