There are plans for a train service between Zrich and Milan with a journey time of 2:45 hours, down from 3:50 hours. The pro-tunnel Avanti Initiative brought a referendum to voters in February 2004, which was rejected (by 62.8%). Also, by reducing the amount of traffic, which currently consists of over 2000 trucks passing through the Gotthard road tunnel daily (one . A2 BS Hagnau . Consequently, 80 workers left the building site afterwards. "[21] On average, the temperature is about 3C (5F) higher on the south side than the north side, but on some days, temperature differences are well over 10C (18F). [citation needed]. [13] It lies at the heart of the Gotthard axis and constitutes the third tunnel connecting the cantons of Uri and Ticino, after the Gotthard Tunnel and the Gotthard Road Tunnel. Green vehicles: which motorisation for which use? Switzerland is celebrating the opening of the 57 kilometre Gotthard Base Tunnel which will connect northern and southern Europe under the Swiss Alps. [13], During 1932, a memorial for those workers who had died during the tunnel's construction was erected close to the station building at Airolo. To complete your registration, click on the link in the email that we have just sent you. It stretches over 57 km, some 2,300 metres under rock. The GBT substantially contributes to the requirements of both laws and enables a direct flat route from the ports of the North Sea (notably Rotterdam) to those of the Mediterranean Sea (notably Genoa), via the Rhine corridor. 9 helpful votes. The tunnel passes under these two ranges more than 2,000m (6,562ft) below the Chrzlistock (2,709m or 8,888ft) and the Piz Vatgira (2,983m or 9,787ft, near the Lukmanier Pass). IM Maggia Engineering Ltd. and IUB Engineering Ltd. are general planners for infrastructural facilities and have been offering sophisticated engineering services for 50 years in the specialist areas of power station construction, tunnel construction, hydraulic engineering and general civil engineering. AlpTransit Gotthard AG was responsible for construction. [8] Of those that survived, several suffered from serious health issues caused by an epidemic of hookworm infection (Ancylostoma duodenale). All three tunnels bypass the Gotthard Pass, an important trade route since the 13th century. This is viewed as a revolution, especially in the isolated region of Ticino, which is separated from the rest of the country by the Alps and the Gotthard. Faido portal (maintenance access), 757m (2,484ft) a.s.l. Screen shot of the TCS Traffic app. The Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) (shown in figure 5) is a railwa y tunnel in the heart of the Swiss Alps expected to open on J une 2, 2016. Country Switzerland Project name Gotthard Base Tunnel Developers AlpTransit Gotthard AG (SBB) Route length 57km (35.4 miles) Tunnel portals Erstfeld, Uri and Bodio, Ticino Expand Veuillez tenir compte de lheure de publication des Tweets : seuls les informations effectives sont affiches, et non la fin dun embouteillage. Although the technical maximum speed is 250km/h (160mph) through the GBT, the maximal authorized speed has been reduced to 230km/h (140mph) for ecological and economical reasons, while the operating speed of passenger trains is restricted to 200km/h (124mph) in order to accommodate the freight traffic, with the possibility to accelerate up to 230km/h (140mph) in case of delay. [16], After 64 percent of Swiss voters accepted the NRLA project in a 1992 referendum, the first preparatory and exploratory work began in 1996. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. If you have kids that suffer from motion sickness, be prepared. For the 2016 rail tunnel, see, The south entrance of Gotthard Road Tunnel. The pass road culminates about 1,000 metres (3,300ft) above the tunnel, at a height of 2,106 metres (6,909ft), and is only passable in summer. Thank you! At the end of the access tunnel, two vertical shafts lead 800m (2,625ft) down to the base tunnel level. The 15,003m (49,222ft) Gotthard Rail Tunnel, close to but separate from the expressway tunnel, handles rail traffic on the north-south line in Switzerland. 569 likes. It connects Gschenen with Airolo and was the first tunnel through the Saint-Gotthard Massif in order to bypass the St Gotthard Pass. Of course, since tomorrow is a monday chances are you can just slide through at most times of the day. The Gotthard tunnel was closed from south to north due to a rockfall. The Gotthard Base Tunnel, constructed from 1999 to 2010 and open to traffic in 2016, is one of the most ambitious tunneling projects in the world. In winter, however, due to the snow, cars could only cross the Gotthard on the train. We recommend to travel by train instead. The webapp is addressed to the people travelling daily or weekly through the tunnel that need to fastly access the information. [20], The Gotthard Base Tunnel, with a length of 57.09km (35.5mi) and a total of 151.84km (94.3mi) of tunnels, shafts and passages, is the longest railway tunnel in the world,[note 2] with a geodetic distance of 55.782km (34.7mi) between the two portals. The nearby Gotthard Road Tunnel has proven to be relatively safe, not least given the sheer volume of traffic traversing its length. To cut construction time in half, four access tunnels were built so that construction could start at four different sites simultaneously: Erstfeld, Amsteg, Sedrun, and Faido. The final cost is projected as CHF 9.560billion. [4] Thus in 1853, several Swiss cantons met in Lucerne for a Gotthard Conference. Scroll down to see the current dashboard. [85], The number of projected trains per day was 180260 freight trains and 50 (65 from 2020) passenger trains. Join to use and share best sources for traffic. [10] During 1875, the workforce went on strike; this was promptly violently suppressed by local police force (21 men) from Altdorf, resulting in four deaths amongst the workers and the wounding of 13 others. [3] The engineering used to create the tunnel can be largely credited to Favre, although he was unable to see its completion, having suffered a fatal heart attack while inside the tunnel on 19 July 1879, barely six months before breakthrough would be achieved. As early as 1947, engineer Eduard Gruner imagined a two-story base tunnel from Amsteg to Biasca, both rail and road, with a stop at Sedrun, to provide a faster and flatter passage through the Swiss Alps. The 57-kilometer (35-mile) Gotthard Base Tunnel . An improvisational piggyback service from Gschenen to Airolo was offered during the two-month closure of the Gotthard Road Tunnel following a fatal fire caused by a collision in 2001. Quite late, compared to other current top-importance routes through the Alps (e.g. Gotthard Pass hairpin turns (Mojolo / Adobe Stock) Negative leisure travel impact is expected on the motorway A2 and mainly in front of the Gotthard tunnel. Today, that service exists as the rolling highway from the German to the Italian border and aims to reduce truck traffic on Swiss expressways. Transit time was further dramatically reduced with the opening of the Gotthard Road Tunnel and the finalization of the northern part of A2 motorway through the Urner Reusstal (in close proximity to the railway), with many additional tunnels (then leading from Basel to the Gotthard Road Tunnel), in 1980. With only one lane in each direction, if everyone has the same idea you could be stuck at the entrance for hours. [33], The final breakthrough in the east tube occurred on 15 October 2010 at 14:17 +02:00. It is the largest tunnel that is part of a larger project called the NRLA (New Railway Link through the Alps). [4] But the Federal Councillor Josef Martin Knsel supported the realization of the Gotthard Tunnel and was against the Lukmanier route. Traffic delays repeat with partially predictable patterns. In the bustle and confusion,. The tunnel then passes below the valley of the Rein da Medel (Val Medel) and west of Lai da Sontga Maria. The trains made a stop inside the tunnel, to allow passengers to visit an exhibition inside the underground multifunction station in Sedrun which would normally be used in emergency only.[63]. It cannot of course predict car accidents or tunnel closures. At the moment, I have a base of 20-40 daily users (mainly colleagues) and I think it's time to start sponsoring it, mainly to collect feedbacks also from other people. The tunnel was opened on 5 September 1980. The 35.5-mile tunnel passes deep under the Swiss Alps, with over 6,500 feet of overburden in some areas. Refilling water boilers of steam locomotives was no longer necessary. Similar topics. [23] Passenger speed was also increased on the railway line with the use of tilting trains, notably the ICN, although maximum speed remaining far lower than on a modern straight high-speed line. Download our mobile app from the AppStore or Google Play to receive guidance throughout your journey. Yes. [66] On 5 December, the Swiss Federal Railways were granted permission from the Federal Transport Office to use the new base line. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. After two more kilometers, the border between the cantons of Uri and Ticino is passed; after another five kilometres (3mi), the tunnel ends at the southern portal near to Airolo (1,142m or 3,747ft). From there, the tunnel runs parallel to the small valley of Etzli, below the Witenalpstock. It was a once-daily service from Flelen railway station to Biasca railway station and in reverse. Februar 1992", "Bundesbeschluss ber die Volksinitiative "zum Schutze des Alpengebietes vor dem Transitverkehr" vom 18. It is the world's longest and deepest train tunnel, 8,000 feet deep at . Aerial views of the works (by AlpTransit AG): This page was last edited on 14 February 2023, at 02:24. Juni 1993", "Bundesbeschluss ber Bau und Finanzierung von Infrastrukturvorhaben des ffentlichen Verkehrs Chronologie", "Bundesbeschluss ber die Genehmigung der sektoriellen Abkommen zwischen der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft einerseits und der Europischen Gemeinschaft sowie gegebenenfalls ihrer Mitgliedstaaten oder der Europischen Atomgemeinschaft andererseits Chronologie", "Was passiert eigentlich mit der Gotthard-Bergstrecke? The Gotthard tunnel was closed due to a rockfall. The alternate route to the Gotthard Tunnel is the San Bernadino Tunnel. A 12-month stint as an AuPair in the hills behind Basel turned into a permanent stay after fate stepped in. The free mobile app offers Michelin maps and routes with real-time traffic, GPS Navigation with voice guidance and community alerts. It was opened in 1882, at the time the world's longest tunnel, though later superseded by longer tunnels, some over 50km (31mi) long. Internet portal for traffic news in Switzerland, with realtime traffic cams, reports of traffic jams and accidents, jam maps, pass roads, construction sites, traffic forecast, traffic obstructions, road reports It is the deepest railway tunnel in the world, with a maximum depth of 2,450m (8,040ft),[4] comparable to that of the deepest mines on Earth. Following the catastrophic fire in the road tunnel in 2001, car shuttle trains resumed operations for a few weeks. Refresh the page! We also have profound knowledge of project management and implementation of . Prior to the opening of the tunnel, cars were transported through the nearby railway tunnel on car shuttle trains. It would last until 1921. [3], Following this milestone, a further two years of construction work continued upon the tunnel. [12], Initially, the tunnel was operated by the private railway company Gotthardbahn, which ran conventional trains drawn by steam locomotives between Lucerne and Chiasso at the Italian border. [3] Amongst other feats, the boring process involved the first large-scale use of dynamite, a relatively recent innovation that had only been patented in 1867.