Table of Contents
What the Gotthard tunnel is used for?
Opened in 2016, the tunnel provides a high-speed rail link between the Swiss cities of Erstfield in the north and Bodio in the south, or more significantly, cutting the journey time between Milan and Zurich by an hour.
Who designed the Gotthard tunnel?
Louis Favre
Gotthard Tunnel
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Design engineer | Louis Favre |
| Length | 15,003 m (49,221 ft) |
| No. of tracks | Double |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 81⁄2 in) (standard gauge) |
How many people died building the Gotthard Base Tunnel?
Nine people died
Nine people died during construction….Gotthard Base Tunnel.
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| System | Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS) |
| Crosses | Alps (western Glarus Alps and central Lepontine Alps at the eastern Gotthard Massif) |
| Start | Erstfeld, canton of Uri (north, 460 m (1,510 ft)) |
| End | Bodio, canton of Ticino (south, 312 m (1,024 ft)) |
Can you drive through the Gotthard tunnel?
The Gotthard is the heart of the Alps. Travellers who drive through the tunnel, do miss some important sights. You can exit the highway A2 in Erstfeld, Amsteg or Wassen and follow the road to the Gotthard Pass. You will drive through picturesque villages, open flowering pastures and impressive gorges.
How much did the Gotthard road tunnel cost?
According to the latest forecast the project will cost around 2 billion Swiss francs (roughly 1.7 billion euros). Once the second tube is completed, all traffic will run through it bidirectionally so that the existing tunnel can be redeveloped from 2028 till 2030.
How long did it take to build the Gotthard tunnel?
17 years
Facts and figures. The Gotthard base tunnel is 57km and in some places 2.3km from the surface. Without ventilation, the temperature inside the tunnel system is 46C (115F). The project took 17 years to build and cost 12.2bn Swiss francs.
What is the purpose of the Gotthard Base Tunnel?
The main purpose of the Gotthard Base Tunnel is to increase local transport capacity through the Alpine barrier, especially for freight, notably on the Rotterdam–Basel–Genoa corridor, and more specifically to shift freight volumes from trucks to freight trains.
How much did the Gotthard tunnel cost to build?
Gotthard Base Tunnel. As of 1998, the total projected cost of the project was CHF 6.323 billion; as of December 2015, the final cost is projected as CHF 9.560 billion. Nine people died during construction.
When was the first tunnel built in Switzerland?
The official start of construction began on 4 November 1999 at Amsteg. Drilling operations in the eastern tunnel were completed on 15 October 2010 in a breakthrough ceremony broadcast live on Swiss TV, and in the western tunnel on 23 March 2011.
Why is the Gotthard Pass important to Switzerland?
Since the 13th century, the 2,106-metre-high (6,909 ft) Gotthard Pass has been an important trade route from northern to southern Europe. Control of its access routes led to the birth of the Swiss Confederacy.