Gotthard Base Tunnel

Gotthard Base Tunnel

standard gauge)
Electrified	15 kV 16.7 Hz
Operating speed	Passenger (service): 200 km/h (125 mph) Passenger (if delay): 230 km/h (145 mph)[6][7][8] Max speed (technical): 250 km/h (155 mph) Freight: 100 km/h (62 mph)
Highest elevation	549 m (1,801 ft)[5]
Lowest elevation	312 m (1,024 ft) (south portal)[5]
Tunnel clearance	5.20 m (17 ft 1 in) from top of rail to overhead conductor[5]
Grade	max 4.055‰ (north) max 6.76‰ (south)[5]
Route map

The Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT;

.

The GBT consists of a large complex with, at its core, two

Grisons

). It is part of the New Railway Link through the Alps (NRLA) project, which also includes the Ceneri Base Tunnel further south (opened on 3 September 2020) and the Lötschberg Base Tunnel on the other main north–south axis. It is referred to as a "base tunnel" since it bypasses most of the existing vertex line, the Gotthard railway line, a winding mountain route opened in 1882 across the Saint-Gotthard Massif, which was operating at its capacity before the opening of the GBT. The new base tunnel establishes a direct route usable by high-speed rail and heavy freight trains.^[15]

The main purpose of the Gotthard Base Tunnel is to increase local transport capacity through the Alpine barrier, especially for freight on the Rotterdam–Basel–Genoa corridor, and more specifically to shift freight volumes from

After 64 percent of Swiss voters accepted the NRLA project in a

Description

The Gotthard Base Tunnel, with a length of 57.09 km (35.5 mi) and a total of 151.84 km (94.3 mi) of tunnels, shafts and passages, is the longest railway tunnel in the world,^{[note 2]} with a geodetic distance of 55.782 km (34.7 mi) between the two portals.^[5][12] It is also the first flat route through the Alps or any other major mountain range, with a maximum elevation of 549 m (1,801 ft) above sea level,^[5] corresponding to that of Bern. It is the deepest railway tunnel in the world, with a maximum depth of 2,450 m (8,040 ft),^[5] comparable to that of the deepest mines on Earth. Without ventilation, the temperature inside the mountain reaches 46 °C (115 °F).^[5]

Like the two other tunnels passing below the Gotthard, the Gotthard Base Tunnel connects two Alpine valleys across the

-speaking.

The Alps strongly influence the

The north portal lies in the north of the municipality of

The closest railway stations to the portals are Altdorf and Biasca. The first regularly served railway stations on the base line (as of 2016/17) are those of Arth-Goldau (Schwyz), a railway node with links to Lucerne and Zürich, and Bellinzona (the "Gate of Ticino"), with links to Locarno, Luino and Lugano (via the Monte Ceneri Rail Tunnel). The journey from Arth-Goldau to Bellinzona takes not more than an hour. The station of Altdorf is planned to be served by 2021. There also have been talks of using that of Biasca. The travel between Altdorf and Biasca would last less than 25 minutes.

History

Background

Since the 13th century, the 2,106 m-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. The Gotthard Pass is located halfway between Lake Lucerne and Lake Maggiore. It is the shortest link between the navigable Rhine and the Po. Before modern transport, the traverse of the pass took days, and snow makes it a challenge in winter.^[20]

Quite late, compared to other current top-importance routes through the Alps (e.g. Simplon, San Bernardino, Brenner, Mont Cenis), namely in 1830, the first Saint-Gotthard Pass road was established after centuries-long usage of a bridle path. From 1842 onwards, a daily course by the Gotthard Post, a stagecoach drawn by five horses with ten seats, still took about 23 hours from Como to Flüelen. It would last until 1921.

In 1882, with the inauguration of the

-hotels, for example in Biasca. In those days, it was still an adventure and it was only affordable to the rich. Electrification of the railway line in 1922 significantly reduced travel time again. Refilling water boilers of steam locomotives was no longer necessary. There were also the technical advantages of electrical engines and future technical improvements.

From 1924, car transport on trains through the railway tunnel began. The road between Göschenen and Airolo over the summit of the pass, comporting notably the Schöllenen ravine and the Tremola, had countless hairpin turns and serpentine curves, dropping 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in altitude. It posed a huge challenge for automobiles of those days. From 1953 onwards, the pass road was sequentially improved and expanded at several sections along the Gotthard route, finally ending in 1977 with the opening of an expressway fully circumventing the Tremola. In winter, however, due to the snow, cars could only cross the Gotthard on the train.

Transit time was further dramatically reduced with the opening of the

, although maximum speed remaining far lower than on a modern straight high-speed line. Both modern motorway and historic railway rely on heavy rockfall and avalanche protection equipments and are exposed to harsh weather condition in winter.

After the opening of the auto tunnel, in 1980, traffic increased more than tenfold. The existing tunnel was at its capacity by 2013.^[22] A second tunnel will be built next to the first, following a national referendum.^[23][24] Construction started in 2021 and is scheduled to finish in 2027.

As early as 1947, engineer

climbing up to the portals of the old tunnel at a height of 1,151 m (3,776 ft) above sea level. Since the GBT is in full service, standard freight trains of up to 3,600 t (7.9×10^⁶ lb) are able to pass this natural barrier.

Because of ever-increasing international truck traffic, Swiss voters chose a shift in transportation policy in September 1992 by accepting the NRLA proposal. A second law, the Alpine Protection Act of February 1994,[26] requires a shift of as much tonnage as possible from truck transport to train transport.

The goal of both the laws is to transport trucks, trailers and freight containers through Switzerland, from Basel to Chiasso, and beyond by rail to relieve the overused roads, and that of the Gotthard in particular, by using intermodal freight transport and rolling highways (where the entire truck is transported). 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.

Although the technical maximum speed is 250 km/h (155 mph) through the GBT, the maximal authorized speed has been reduced to 230 km/h (145 mph) for ecological and economical reasons, while the operating speed of passenger trains is restricted to 200 km/h (125 mph) in order to accommodate the freight traffic, with the possibility to accelerate up to 230 km/h (145 mph) in case of delay.^[6][7][8] At opening the GBT reduced travel times for trans-Alpine train journeys by about 40 minutes, and by one hour when the adjacent Zimmerberg and Ceneri Base Tunnels were completed. 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. The two stations of Bellinzona and Lugano (respectively named "Gate of Ticino" and "Terrace of Ticino") were entirely renovated for the opening of the GBT, among other improvements.^{[citation needed]}

As of 2016, the Gotthard Base Tunnel is the longest railway tunnel in the world. It is the third Swiss tunnel to bear this title, after the Gotthard Tunnel (15 km or 9.3 mi, 1882) and the Simplon Tunnel (19.8 km or 12.3 mi, 1905).^[27] It is the third tunnel built under the Gotthard, after the Gotthard Tunnel and the Gotthard Road Tunnel.

Construction

2004–2011 tunnel excavation^[28][29]

Year	Month	Total excavated
		(kilometres)	(miles)	Of planned (%)
2004	July	52.34	32.52	34.1
2005	June	74.59	46.35	48.6
2006	June	94.10	58.47	61.3
2007	June	103.67	64.42	67.6
2008	March	108.02	67.12	70.4
	April	109.00	67.73	71.0
	July	113.20	70.34	73.8
	August	115.20	71.58	75.1
	October	118.40	73.57	77.2
2009	January	124.00	77.05	81.6
	March	127.30	79.10	83.9
	May	131.00	81.40	86.3
	June	133.00	82.64	87.6
	July	134.80	83.76	87.9
	August	136.60	84.88	90.0
	September	137.30	85.31	90.4
	October	138.60	86.12	91.3
	November	140.00	86.99	92.2
	December	141.38	87.85	93.0
2010	January	141.82	88.12	93.4
	February	142.48	88.53	93.8
	March	143.80	89.35	94.7
	April	144.80	89.97	95.4
	May	145.40	90.35	95.8
	June	146.10	90.78	96.2
	July	146.60	91.09	96.6
	August	147.33	91.55	97.0
	September	147.98	91.95	97.5
	October	149.10	92.65	98.2
	November	149.90	93.14	98.7
	December	150.40	93.45	99.0
2011	January	150.49	93.51	99.1
	February	150.77	93.68	99.3
	March	151.26	93.99	99.6
	April	151.70	94.26	99.91
	May	151.75	94.29	99.94
	June	151.82	94.34	99.99
	July	151.82	94.34	100[30]

AlpTransit Gotthard AG was responsible for construction. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS).

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. A fifth at Bodio was added later. The two tunnels are joined approximately every 325 m (1,066 ft) by connecting galleries. Trains can move between the tunnels in the two multifunction stations at

Access to the Sedrun station site is by a level access tunnel 1 km (0.6 mi) long from the valley floor near Sedrun. At the end of the access tunnel, two vertical shafts lead 800 m (2,625 ft) down to the base tunnel level. A proposal to construct a functioning railway station, called Porta Alpina (from Romansh, "Alpine Gate"), at this site was evaluated, but the project was put on hold in 2007 and definitively cancelled by the federal authorities in 2012 as uneconomical.^[31]

The final breakthrough in the east tube occurred on 15 October 2010 at 14:17 +02:00.^[32] The final breakthrough in the west tube occurred on 23 March 2011 at 12:20.^[33][34]

On 30 August 2013, the tunnel was entirely traversed for the first time from Bodio to Erstfeld in six hours, by diesel train, buses and by foot.^[35]

On 16 December 2013, the operational test phase started on a 13-kilometre (8.1 mi) stretch in the southern section of the west tube between Faido and Bodio. Its purpose was to test the infrastructure and any ancillary systems.^[36]

On 31 October 2014, the railway track installation was completed. A gold

On 1 October 2015, following permission by the Federal Office of Transport, the first tests on the entire length of the GBT were performed, with steadily increasing speed. On 8 November, a train reached the top speed of 275 km/h (171 mph).[39]

Allocation of work

The contracts were awarded in sections:

• surface-mined
  .
• Amsteg (the 11.3 km (7.0 mi) section from Amsteg to north of
  Sedrun), ARGE AGN (Strabag and Züblin Murer) received the contract for work in this sector.^[40] On 9 December 2009, the Amsteg section was officially delivered to the owner for fitting-out,^[41] with civil engineering, construction, concrete and lining work completed in early 2010.^[42]
• Sedrun (the 8.6 km (5.3 mi) East tube and 8.7 km (5.4 mi) West tube in the section immediately north and south of Sedrun), along with work performed by Transco (
  Frutiger and Impresa Pizzarotti).^[43][44] The final breakthrough in the west tube occurred in March 2011.^[45] The northbound tubes from Amsteg to the Sedrun multifunction station (north) were handed over to the railway systems contractor Transtec Gotthard on 15 September 2011, the date specified in the construction schedule.^[46]
• Impregilo).^[47]
• Bodio (15.9 km (9.9 mi) East tube and 15.6 km (9.7 mi) West tube in the section from Faido to Bodio), with work performed by Consorzio TAT (Alpine Mayreder Bau, CSC Impresa costruzioni, Hochtief, Implenia and Impregilo).^[47] Civil engineering construction, concrete and lining works were completed in early 2010.^[42]

Deaths during construction

Nine workers died during construction; one in the Amsteg section, two in the Sedrun section, and three each in the southernmost Faido and Bodio sections.^[48]

Date	Nationality	Details
8 June 2000	German	Hit by a boring bar that fell 700 m (2,300 ft).[49]
12 March 2002	South African	Buried by excavation material.[50]
3 April 2003	German	Hit by a rock.[51]
11 September 2003	Austrian	Crushed by a toppling cable drum.[52][53]
21 January 2005	Italian (1) Italian (1)	Hit in a mine train collision.[54][55]
23 November 2006	German	Crushed by a mine train.[56]
24 June 2010	German	Catapulted from an inspection train.[57]
16 July 2012	Italian	Fell from a scaffold.[58]

Inauguration and commissioning

In 2016, several events, including festivities and special exhibitions, were held around the Gotthard, culminating in the inaugurations in early June, dubbed Gottardo 2016. Public institutions joined the celebrations: Swiss Post issued a special stamp commemorating the Gotthard Base Tunnel,^[59][60] and Swissmint issued gold and silver coins dedicated to the opening.

On 31 May 2016, a day before the inauguration, the nine people who died during construction were commemorated in a ceremony at the north portal in Erstfeld that was led by a Catholic vicar general, a vicar of the Evangelical-Reformed Church of Uri, a Jewish rabbi, and a Muslim imam. A bronze memorial plaque with their names — four coming from Germany, three from Italy, and one from each of South Africa and Austria – was unveiled by AlpTransit Gotthard AG CEO Renzo Simoni.^[48] A Catholic shrine to Saint Barbara, the patron of miners, stands inside the tunnel as a memorial.^[61]

The tunnel was officially inaugurated on 1 June 2016.

On the following weekend, popular festivities and special exhibitions, attended by more than 100,000 visitors, were held.

From 2 August to 27 November 2016, the

Regular services

During 2016, the GBT was tested extensively

fleet.

From the Amsteg portal, guided tours are organised inside the Gotthard Base Tunnel complex. A window allows visitors to watch the trains running in the tunnel.

2023 derailment and closure

On 10 August 2023, a freight train derailed while traveling through the tunnel, causing extensive damage to the tunnel infrastructure.[66] The incident occurred near the multi-functional station of Faido, in the canton of Ticino. No one was injured, and no hazardous materials were released. The derailment caused significant damage to the tunnel, prompting its closure to both passenger and freight traffic. The incident led to the derailing of around 30 wagons, and the train damaged the concrete sleepers for approximately 8 kilometers before coming to a stop.

As of the end of 2023, the tunnel operates with a single tube, giving priority to freight trains. Most passenger trains are rerouted through the mountain route and the old Gotthard Tunnel.^[67] The complete reopening of the base tunnel is expected in September 2024.^[68]

Politics

The realization of the GBT, as the centrepiece of the NRLA, is also a prototypical example of direct democracy in Switzerland. In order to accomplish this mega-project the political institutions also had to overcome many parliamentary sessions and several major popular votes, including the following:^[69]

• 27 September 1992, NRLA proposal (
  Federal Council was accepted by 63.6% yes votes (declined by 1+2/2 cantons, turnout 45.9%)^[70][71]
• 20 February 1994,
  federal popular initiative): Initiated by a few private people with the goal to protect the Alpine environment from the negative impact of traffic was accepted^[72] by 51.9% yes votes (declined by 7 cantons, turnout 41%).^[73][74] The initiative was accepted despite the recommendation by the Federal Council from 12 February 1992 to decline the initiative without any counterproposal,^[74][75] and despite the parliamentary recommendation (both chambers) from 18 June 1993 to decline the initiative.^[74][76]
• 29 November 1998, Public Transport Funding (mandatory referendum): A total budget of CHF 30 billion for several public transport projects was accepted by 63.5% yes votes (declined by 1+3/2 cantons, turnout 38.3%); "the NRLA is to receive CHF 13.6 billion"^[77][78]
• 21 May 2000, Bilateral EU Agreements / 40-tonne Trucks / Heavy Traffic Fee (optional referendum): As part of a whole package of several bilateral agreements with the EU the Swiss also accepted by 67.2% yes votes (declined by 2 cantons, turnout 48.3%) the shift of an upper limit for trucks from 28 tonnes (62 thousand pounds) to 40 tonnes (88 thousand pounds), but at the same time the EU agreed to a new heavy-traffic fee, which would also be used to finance the NRLA^[79][80]
• 17 December 2003, Ceneri Base Tunnel (parliamentary session): The controversial funding of the Ceneri Base Tunnel was finally passed by parliamentary approval only; the possibility for an optional referendum was not raised by any political groups, nor by the public. The then-in-charge transport minister, Federal Councilor Moritz Leuenberger, was quoted as saying "This is the only way to make the railway [the Gotthard axis] a flat line between Basel and Chiasso."^[81]

Figures

v t e Route overview
Legend
km to Luzern, Zürich & northern Europe 0 Altdorf 4.4 North portal Erstfeld Gotthard railway 12.2 Erstfeld section 23.5 Amsteg section Sedrun (MGB) 32.0 Sedrun multifunction station 45.5 Faido multifunction station Gotthard railway Bodio 61.4 South portal Biasca 69.2 to Italy (Bellinzona, Locarno & Lugano)

• Diameter of each of the single-track tubes: 8.83–9.58 m (29.0–31.4 ft)^[5]
• Distance between cross passage tube: ca. 325 m (1,066 ft)^[5]
• Numbers of cross passage tubes: 178^[5][7]
• Maximum rock overlay: 2,450 m (8,040 ft) (at Piz Vatgira)^[5]
• Start of construction: 1993 (sounding drills), 1996 (preparations), 4 November 1999 (official start, first blasting), 2003 (mechanical excavation)
• Breakthrough: 15 October 2010 (Eastern tube), 23 March 2011 (Western tube)^[5]
• Commissioning: May 2016
• Inauguration/opening: 1 June 2016
• Start of daily passenger service: 11 December 2016 (see public transport timetable#Switzerland)^[82]
• Total cost: CHF 9.560 billion^[18] (as of December 2015^[update])
• Travel time: Passenger trains – 20 minutes^[7]
• Amount of excavated rock: 28,200,000 t (31,100,000 short tons; 27,800,000 long tons),^[5][83] 13,300,000 m³ or 17,400,000 cu yd, the equivalent of 5 Giza pyramids
• Number of tunnel boring machines (TBM): Four Herrenknecht Gripper TBMs. Machine numbers S-210 and S-211 operated northbound from Bodio to Faido and Sedrun and were nicknamed Sissi and Heidi respectively; Machines S-229 and S-230 operated southbound from Erstfeld to Sedrun and were known as Gabi I and Gabi II.
  • Total length: 440 m (1,440 ft) (including back-up equipment)
  • Total weight: 3,000 t (3,300 short tons; 3,000 long tons)
  • Power: 5
    MW
  • Max. excavation daily: 25–30 m (82–98 ft) (in excellent rock conditions)
  • Total excavation length by TBM: about 45 km (28 mi) (for each tube)
  • Manufacturer: Herrenknecht, Schwanau, Germany

• 
  Integration of the portals into the landscape
• 
  The new 4-kilometre-long (2.5 mi) open-air section from Rynächt to the north portal
• 
  Start of the new 7-kilometre-long (4.3 mi) open-air section from Giustizia to the south portal
• 
  The Pollegio Control Centre (near the south portal) with one of the four used TBM cutter heads on display

Operation

Reduced travel times

Reduced travel times by passenger trains

	Shortest journey time by train			Time saved
	vertex route		through GBT
	2006	2016	2022
Milano – Zürich	4:26 (EC) / 3:41 (CIS)[84]	4:03 (EC)[85]	3:17 (EC)[86]	1:09 / :24 / :46
Lugano – Zürich	2:56 (EC/IC) / 2:42 (CIS)[84]	2:41 (ICN)[85]	1:53 (IC2/IC21)[86]	1:03 / :49 / :48

Safety

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2018)

The safety requirements on the rolling stock are similar to those of other long Swiss tunnels, including the ability for the emergency brake to be overridden.

Incidents

On 10 August 2023, a freight train heading north derailed inside the tunnel causing it to be shut. Trains scheduled to use the tunnel were either cancelled or redirected via the "panorama route" which added around one to two hours to journeys, and reduced passenger capacity by around two thirds. According to an SBB press conference, around 8km of tracks, 20,000 concrete sleepers and a lane change gate in the tunnel were severely damaged. The gate is needed to separate the two tunnel tubes which is why the second tunnel could not initially be used to run trains. ^[87][88] When the incident first happened, authorities stated the tunnel would be shut for at least 6 days but later announced that passenger trains would not be able to use the tunnel for several months. Freight trains have been allowed to use the east tunnel from 23 August due to a temporary maintenance gate replacing the damaged one.^[89][87]

Experts from the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB) were dispatched to the site to preserve and document evidence of the crash. Investigators found fragments of a wheel and signs of derailment several kilometers before the crash site. At the Faido station, they discovered a pile of derailed wagons. The STSB's mission is to determine the causes of accidents to ensure or improve safety, rather than to assign guilt or responsibility.^[90] The STSB believes that the derailment was likely caused by a broken wheel tread inside the tunnel. All fragments of the wheel were found, consisting of several large pieces.^[90] The cause of the breakage has not yet been determined. External influence or fatigue fracture are possible explanations. The wheel fragments will be subjected to metallurgical analysis to determine the cause. Despite the broken wheel, the wagon was dragged by the train for several kilometers. At the switching point of the multi-functional station, where trains can switch between the two tubes of the tunnel, the wagon derailed, pulling more than 20 following wagons off the tracks.^[90]

Repair work on the tunnel is expected to be extensive. Initially projected to last until the end of 2023, in November 2023 it was announced that the extensive repairs would not be complete before September 2024, and the tunnel will operate in reduced capacity until at least that date.^[91] This is due to repairs requiring a complete replacement of seven kilometers of railways, including 20,000 sleeper blocks and their concrete foundations, a damaged lane-change gate, two high-speed switches and many other safety and operationally relevant parts.^[92] Repairs are expected to cost between 100 and 130 million Swiss Francs. In the meantime, trains have been rerouted over the panorama route. Since the alternate route is unable to accommodate bi-level equipment, passenger capacity has been reduced by around two thirds. The undamaged east tube of the tunnel is set to resume freight traffic from 23 August 2023, while passenger trains will remain rerouted.^[93] As of 16 August, the Swiss Federal Railways are evaluating, in conjunction with the Federal Office of Transport, the possibility of operating some passenger trains on a single track in the east tube, similar to the planned freight traffic. In case of emergency, passengers would be evacuated through the other tunnel tube. However, this option is still under consideration.^[94] It is expected that on 10 December, coinciding with the yearly timetable changes, freight capacity within the tunnel will be increased for freight vehicles during the week, and for passenger vehicles during weekends.^[95]

Traffic

Since the opening date on 1 June 2016, between 130 and 160 trains on an average working day operated through the Gotthard Base Tunnel, which in March 2019 marked the 100,000th transit. Around two-thirds of the passages were freight trains and the remaining quota were passenger trains, both national and international.^[96]

Projections

The number of projected trains per day was 180–260 freight trains and 50 (65 from 2020) passenger trains.^[7]

Passengers

After the opening of the tunnel there was an increase in passengers crossing the trans-alpine line, with 2.3 million passengers in the first 8 months, an increase of 30% over the previous year.^[97]

In August 2017, an average of 10,400 people crossed the tunnel daily. Train services from Italy to Switzerland through the line are expected to become faster from 2020,^{[needs update]} with the opening of the Ceneri Base Tunnel, with an expected further increase in passenger numbers.^[98] There are plans for a train service between Zürich and Milan with a journey time of 2:45 hours, down from 3:50 hours.^[97]

Freight

67,000 tonnes (150 million pounds) on 120 trains passed through the tunnel each day during the first half year of operation.^[99]

See also

• Brenner Base Tunnel – Railway under construction through the Alps
• Mont d'Ambin Base Tunnel, a planned base tunnel that will be slightly longer than the GBT.
• Rail transport in Switzerland
• High-speed rail in Switzerland
• List of tunnels in Switzerland
• List of tunnels in the Alps
• List of tunnels by country
• List of transport megaprojects

Notes

1. ^ The world longest tunnel for transport of people is the Guangzhou Metro Line 3 in China (60 km). Reference: (in French) Nic Ulmi, "Des trous suisses remplis d'imaginaire" [interview with André Ourednik], Horizons, magazine of the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, number 118, September 2018, pages 22-23.
2. ^ Excluding subway tunnels that lie near the surface. See also: List of longest subway tunnel sections and List of longest tunnels.
3. Altdorf and Grono, two towns situated near each end of the tunnel. See also normals/climate-diagrams-and- normal-values-per-station.html?region=Map Climate diagrams and normal values per station Archived 7 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine (MeteoSwiss
   ).
4. ^ See Swisstopo topographic maps with catchment areas layer: map.geo.admin.ch.

References

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2. ^ "Commissioning". Lucerne, Switzerland: AlpTransit Gotthard AG. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
3. ^ "Construction begins". Bern, Switzerland: Swiss Federal Archives SFA, Swiss Federal Office of Transport FOT, Swiss Confederation. 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
4. ^ "155 days until opening". Lucerne, Switzerland: AlpTransit Gotthard AG. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
5. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r} "Project data – raw construction Gotthard Base Tunnel" (PDF). Lucerne, Switzerland: AlpTransit Gotthard AG. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
6. ^ ^{a b} Axe nord-sud du Saint-Gothard (SBB/CFF website).
7. ^
   SBB CFF FFS. 2016. Archived from the original
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8. ^ ^{a b} Giruno (SBB/CFF website).
9. ^ "Über und durch den Gotthard – eine Zeitreise durch die Jahrhunderte" (in German). Zürich, Switzerland: SRF Swiss Radio and Television. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
10. ^ "World's longest and deepest rail tunnel to open in Switzerland". BBC News. June 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
11. ^ "Gotthard- und CeneriBasistunnel: die neue Gotthard-Bahn nimmt Gestalt an" (PDF). Geomatik Schweiz. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
12. ^ ^{a b} "Wer hat die grösste Röhre?" [Who has the longest tube?]. Tages-Anzeiger (graphical animation) (in German). Zürich, Switzerland. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
13. ^ "Gotthard tunnel: World's longest and deepest rail tunnel opens in Switzerland". BBC News. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
14. ^ Yücel Erdem, Tülin Solak, Underground Space Use. Analysis of the Past and Lessons for the Future, CRC Press, 2005 (p. 485)
15. ^
    ISSN 0026-8356
    .
16. ^ Monnat, Lucie (11 December 2014). "Le tunnel de base du Gothard révolutionnera le rail dans deux ans". 24 heures. Lausanne. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
17. ^ "Chronology of a Project of the Century: Milestones in the Construction History up to 2010" (PDF). Lucerne, Switzerland: AlpTransit Gotthard AG. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
18. ^ ^{a b} Thomas Müller; Isidor Baumann (29 April 2016). "Oberaufsicht über den Bau der Neat im Jahre 2015: Bericht der Neat-Aufsichtsdelegation der eidgenössischen Räte zuhanden der Finanzkommissionen, der Geschäftsprüfungskommissionen und der Kommissionen für Verkehr und Fernmeldewesen" (PDF). Bundesblatt (in German, French, and Italian). Vol. 2016, no. 16.005. NRLA supervisory board of the federal councils. p. 6686. BBl 2016 6665 (-6732). Retrieved 6 June 2017.
19. ^ Mario Botta (27 May 2016). Der Gotthard-Basistunnel. / La galleria di base del San Gottardo (Trailer) (in Italian). Bern, Switzerland: SBB CFF FFS. Event occurs at 1:45. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2016 – via YouTube. la luce del Mare Nostrum, è diversa rispetto alla luce del mondo interno, del mondo dell'altopiano, del mondo dell'Europa lontana dal mare Mediterraneo
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External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gotthard Base Tunnel.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Gotthard Base Tunnel.

• Official website
• Gotthard Tunnel Experience, Uri Tourism
• Gottardo 2016, official inauguration website
  • SRF Gotthard – Die Eröffnung, official coverage and background information by SRF Swiss Radio and Television (in German)
  • RTS Gothard – L'inauguration du tunnel, official coverage and background information by RTS Radio Télévision Suisse (in French)
• Alptransit Gotthard AG official website
• Gotthard Base Tunnel at Structurae
• AGN Erstfeld Amsteg Constructors Web Site (many photos and designs)
• Faido Bodio Constructors Web Site (many photos and designs)
• Publications by and about Gotthard Base Tunnel in the catalogue Helveticat of the Swiss National Library

Videos

• Aerial views of the works (by AlpTransit AG): 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
• Journey through the GBT (SRF DOK)
• Flight over the GBT (SRF DOK)
• 17 years of construction (NRLA)
• Corporate videos: AlpTransit Gotthard AG (main contractor), Herrenknecht (TBM), ABB (ventilation), Thales (railway signalling), Transtec Gotthard (railway technology)

Routes

• Gotthard-Basistunnel (6283450)

Records
Preceded by Seikan Tunnel	World's longest railway tunnel 2016–present	Current holder