New Gotthard Rail Link: a Technical Challenge

The transalpine rail routes through Switzerland are over 100 years old. They are presently being rebuilt to meet the requirements of ever-increasing traffic between northern and southern Europe. The efficiency of rail transport on the two busiest transalpine routes, the Gotthard and Lotschberg routes, will be substantially increased by constructing a number of level rail tunnels (base tunnels) through the Swiss Alps. By constructing three base tunnels through the Zimmerberg, Gotthard and Monte Ceneri mountains, the Gotthard rail route will become practically level over its entire length. When completed, the central tunnel, the Gotthard Base Tunnel, will be the longest rail tunnel in the world, 57 km long.